Megami no Hanabira
by Krimzon Flygon
Summary: When a demon outbreak occurs at the beginning of Reo and Mai's summer vacation, they find themselves fighting for their lives in a city engulfed in chaos. They and their friends must learn to wield the mysterious Demon Summoning Program if they wish to survive the madness, and learn the truth behind its cause... Rated for violence. Contains non-explicit Yuri relationships.
1. Day 0: Ordinary Day

Megami No Hanabira

Day 0:

Ordinary Day

(Disclaimer: I do not own Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke Wo, nor Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor.)

And I would like to take this opportunity to give a thank-you to Blargel for taking the time to Beta-Read this!

* * *

_Bleeeeah…I don't understand ANY of this_!

Reo Kawamura fidgeted in her seat. She tapped her pencil. She twirled her hair. It was hopeless: no matter how long she stared at the problem in front of her, the answer danced out of reach. Stupid thing was probably blowing a raspberry at her too for good measure!

GOD, how she hated math!

_It's not my fault, though…I could've studied for this!_ She thought bitterly. _I could've probably answered this by now if Mai hadn't come over and…_

Reo gave her head the most discreet turn she could, squinting to make out the dark-haired figure two rows over.

Eeyup. Just as Reo suspected, Mai was on FIRE. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as her pencil danced over the page, pausing a few times to work out a problem. Just looking at her, no one else would have ever suspected what she had done just the night before.

As luck would have it, Reo knew EXACTLY what had happened the night before. After all, she had taken part in it.

_How is she doing it?!_ She thought incredulously. _I'm so tired I can't think straight, and Mai's doing GREAT on this stupid Final! Don't tell me what we did last night SERIOUSLY got her in the zone for this; I thought that was just some lame excuse! Though now that I think about it…that would make a little bit of sense, considering I'm talking about the BIGGEST PERVERT IN THE WORLD! Gaaah! Mai, you DUMMY! This is YOUR fault!_

Reo shook herself, focusing all of her attention on the unintelligible jumble of numbers in front of her. Getting angry at Mai wouldn't help her pass the final. She needed to focus.

Five seconds of intense concentration later, she was no closer to the answer, and NOW she felt the beginning of a migraine coming on. Fan-freakin'-tastic. Shaking her head, Reo put her pencil to the paper.

_I'll guess…I'll GUESS…there's no way I can answer this question…it's my only shot…I've gotten enough of the other questions to pass anyway…probably…barely…gaaah, I am so SCREWED!_

* * *

"Heeeeeyyyy! Reo!" Mai waved her arm frantically over her head, hoping that her diminutive blond lover could see her through the ocean of students filtering through the halls. "Reo, over here!"

The shorter girl looked up from her locker, giving a nod of confirmation as she pushed her way through the crowd over to Mai. The dark-haired girl looked her over, a concerned look crossing her features.

"Reo, what's wrong? You look miserable." Reo gave a heaving sigh.

"I didn't do well on the test…I just couldn't concentrate!"

Mai drew back, looking genuinely stunned. "What? That can't be right! The Mai Sawaguchi 100% Test Preparation Strategy should have worked…"

"YOUR 'STRATEGY' WAS HAVING SEX!" Reo exploded. "In fact, I think that's why I FAILED! I was too tired and sore to think straight, and I didn't get any studying done!"

Mai shrugged. "It worked for me. I'm pretty confident about my answers."

Reo crossed her arms, harrumphing. Mai giggled and draped an arm around her girlfriend, enjoying how Reo stiffened.

"Come on, Reo. We're on break now! Grumpiness has absolutely NO place in summer vacation!" She said triumphantly. Reo grumbled under her breath.

"Let's go to town. It's a great day out, and I think we owe ourselves a celebration." Mai continued. Reo's only response was more mumbling. Mai thought for a moment, and then a devious grin spread over her face.

"I'll buy you some gel-aaa-toooo…"

Reo froze, then turned to face Mai, pouting. "You think it's that easy to bribe me?"

Mai giggled again, guiding Reo to the door. "I KNOW it's that easy to bribe you, Reo."

"Mai, you dummy..." Reo muttered.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Mmmhh…" Reo sighed contentedly, spooning the last of her gelato into her mouth, eyes closed in bliss. "Delicious! I've said it before: laced with the fragrance of the Mediterranean!"

Mai picked at her own bowl. "You know how to turn a phrase, Reo…wish I could say the same about my serving. It's weird, I usually like watermelon. Must've been a bad batch or something." She mused. "Oh well, we got the whole summer ahead of us! My parents took my brothers out of town for a week, so it'll be just the two of us! And mark my words, I'm gonna savor every minute of it, Reo!"

Reo shot her girlfriend a sideways glance. "Oh, fantastic. An entire week of you doing nothing but picking on me. Goody goody." Mai snickered, throwing her serving of gelato into a nearby trash can.

"Oh, Reo, you know you like it…"

"I-I don't!" Reo snapped. Mai giggled.

"Heehee…you're stammering, Reo. It's so cute!" Mai took a look around the square, sizing up the different stores. "Now…where do we go next?"

Reo didn't answer.

"Reo?"

Again, no answer. _Going for the silent treatment, huh…?_ Mai thought. _I swear, that girl takes everything so personally…_

"Alright, I'm sorry, Reo. That was mean of me. Reo?"

Silence. Mai turned to face her girlfriend.

"Re-Reo?!"

Mai turned around, her heart jumping. She was gone…Mai didn't even notice Reo had gone missing until she…!

_Wait…there she is_.

Mentally chastising herself for her paranoia, Mai pushed her way through the crowd to where the short blond girl was standing, watching something off in the distance. "Reo!" She groaned. "Jeez, don't run off like that!"

Reo was standing on her tiptoes to get a better look at something off in the distance. "What's with those guys…?" Mai tried to follow her gaze.

"Guys? Where?" She asked. Reo pointed.

"Them, over there."

Mai squinted in the general direction of Reo's finger. Now that she could see them, Mai felt a little stupid for not noticing. They were, in truth, kind of hard to miss.

There were five of them, huddled in a group over near a café, all wearing identical bright white hoodies with black crosses stitched on the back. They seemed to be having some manner of serious conversation, one that was apparently meant to be kept secret by the way they glanced up every now and again, scanning the crowd for anyone who may have been listening in. Mai shook her head in shock.

"Wha…are those HOODIES they're wearing?" She said incredulously. "It's gotta be like 90 degrees out! They'll boil themselves to death! And seriously, do they really think they're being enigmatic or something, a neon sign saying 'we're suspicious' would be more subtle!"

Reo hadn't taken her eyes off of them, and had set her jaw. "You think they're some kind of gang?"

Mai shrugged. "Who knows, they're not bothering anyone…" She said, putting a hand on Reo's shoulder. "Come on. So, where do you wanna go next?"

"I kinda wanna go home…" Reo said. "I'm exhausted."

Mai groaned. "Whaaat? But the day's not over yet!"

"I barely got any sleep last night, Mai!" Reo snapped. "And if I remember correctly, I think YOU had something to do with that."

Mai sighed. "Fine…we got the whole summer ahead of us anyway, right? Come on, I'll walk you home."

Reo gave one last look at the strange people by the café. "Yeah..."

* * *

While Reo found it hard for herself to open up to other people, she didn't consider herself a paranoid person, at least not in the sense that she saw assassins and muggers around every corner. That being said, she couldn't shake the feeling that those men by the diner were supremely bad news, particularly after she and Mai had passed at least four other groups of them on their way through the town square. Even Mai, who for all her book smarts could be the densest girl on the planet, seemed to pick up on this; she had increased their pace, and started making it a point to avoid eye contact with these strange, hooded people. Reo couldn't help but feel a sense of relief as they made it to the edge of the square.

Then they noticed four of the hooded people blocking the way.

Reo felt as if an iron glove had clenched around her stomach. Mai looked a little bit shaken, but she steeled herself and stepped forward, moving in front of the hooded people.

"Excuse us."

One of them looked her dead in the eye. It was, as one would suspect, a little difficult for Mai to make his face out: she could catch a little bit of a beard and the glint of light off one of his eyes. Not much of a face to make a conversation with, but it would have to do.

"We need to get through here. Reo's not feeling well and I need to take her home." Mai explained.  
The man said something; it was brusque, mechanical, rehearsed, in a language that Mai didn't understand. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"I don't understand what you're saying." She said. The man rolled his eyes, pulling a small book out of his pocket. Opening it, he skimmed over a page before snapping it shut and fixing Mai with a glare.

"No passing. Go back." He said simply.

"Wha-no passing?" Mai spluttered. "What do you mean 'no passing'? What's going on?"

"No passing." The man said again, pointing back to the square. "Go back."

It was then that Reo decided to make her presence known, stepping out from behind Mai and glaring between the four strange men.

"Hey!" She snapped. "Who the heck are you guys?! You can't block us off, I wanna go home!"

"No passing. Go back."

Reo clenched her fists, stepping forward with all the menace her tiny body could manage. "Get out of our way, you jerks-!"

The man moved like lightning, pulling something from his belt and swinging it at Reo's head: she gave a strangled gasp as she jumped backwards out of the way, tripping over her own feet and falling on her butt.

"REO!" Mai was instantly at her side, shielding her lover from the men as she glared up at them.  
The man now held a long telescoping baton, pointing it threateningly at the two. His three friends were pulling out their own pieces, extending them with a series of clicks.

"No passing. _Go back_."

Mai pulled Reo to her feet, her heart thundering in her chest as her gaze flicked between the men. "A-alright…we're going! We're going!" She stammered. "C-come on, let's go, Reo!"

The men seemed to relax as the two put some distance between them. They were just starting to collapse their batons before they vanished behind a crowd of people.

"R-reo…are you…" Mai grabbed Reo's shoulder, looking her over for any serious injuries. Reo pushed her away, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"I'm fine…"

Mai took a deep breath, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. "W-we gotta get out of here." She muttered, looking around desperately for any sign of the hooded people. "We need to get to the police, tell them what's going on."

"There's no way out." Reo clenched her fists. "Those guys have probably blocked everything off by now…"

Mai shook herself. "D-don't say that, Reo! I'll find a way out, you just watch!" She looked around the town square. It seemed as bustling and lively as it had ever been. Good…that was good. The fact that there wasn't some huge panic meant that the doomsday scenario of a full lockdown hadn't occurred yet.

There _was _a way out of the town square. There HAD to be.

"The hell d'ya mean I can't get out this way!"

An angry male voice caught the attention of the two. They looked up to see a businessman, red in the face and screaming himself hoarse at another set of hooded men, blocking off another road out of the square. Mai's heart sank…they really were being corralled in…

But who knows…the businessman looked ready to haul off and hit the hooded man. Enough confusion and the two of them could slip out.

"Reo, c'mon."

"You can't keep me here!" The businessman was screaming. "My break ends in fifteen minutes, d'ya know what the boss'll do to me if I'm not back by then?!"

Mai guided herself and Reo into position behind a table near the blockade, the two of them crouching down and watching intently. The businessman looked to be on the verge of a stroke, his anger seeming to bleed off of him and into the rest of the crowd: they were muttering among themselves, beginning to realize that they had a clear advantage in numbers. The hooded men seemed to sense the danger in the air: one of them was reaching for his belt and the billy club that hung there. Surprisingly enough, the one that the businessman was screaming at directly didn't look fazed in the slightest. He simply stood there, arms crossed, waiting for the man to finish his tirade before speaking in a calm, even tone.

"You can't get through here. Please step back." If the businessman looked angry before, he was positively beside himself now.

"Wha-you…IS THAT ALL YOU CAN EFFING SAY!? D'YA NOT SPEAK JAPANESE, YOU BROKEN GODDAMN RECORD?!"

Mai's fingers tightened on the table. "Any second now, Reo." She hissed out of the side of her mouth. "That guy looks like he's ready to blow his top, and as soon as he does, we run. We run and we don't look back. Got it?"

The man grabbed his tie, jerking it off his collar and stuffing it in his pocket. The hooded man's hand flicked to the billy club on his belt. Mai's legs tensed….

"AAAAAAAGH! NOOOOOOOO! H-HELP MEEEEEEEE!"

A bloodcurdling scream caught everyone's attention, as a horrified, disheveled-looking man came bursting through the crowd, falling to his knees in front of the hooded men.

"P-PLEASE, YOU GOTTA HELP ME! IT CAME OUT OF MY PHONE! IT'S GONNA KILL-"

A cry went up over the crowd: something had launched itself over their heads, zeroing in on the man and raising something over its head…

*SCHLRKKK*

Reo let out an ear-piercing shriek. The crowd gasped as one. The hooded man backed away as the thing landed on the man in front of him, driving what it was holding into his back. The man crumpled in a heap to the ground, a puddle of red growing under him.

Mai felt all the warmth drain from the air. Reo had grabbed her arm, squeezing it as hard as she could. "M-m-ma-m-mai…?!" She babbled.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. It was as if time itself had stopped. Then someone let out a scream of terror, and all hell broke loose.

A hundred things happened at once. Mai grabbed onto Reo, holding on for dear life as what seemed to be a tsunami of human flesh erupted everywhere, borne from countless people desperately trying to flee from…something. Reo was shouting something: Mai could barely hear her for the noise. It was a horrible din of screaming people mixed with…animalistic roars?

Something came bursting through the crowd, snarling. Reo caught a glimpse of a pair of bloody claws, a long, sharp horn and a VERY large number of teeth before she felt herself shoved to the ground. The thing missed her by inches, smashing through the table with the twisting of metal and fiberglass.

"REO, RUN!"

Reo felt Mai's hand grasp her own, and then she was dragged through the crowd. The world was a blur, the sounds merged together into a cacophony of roars, screams of terror…

"STOP! GO BACK! YOU CAN'T…!"

Mai gave the hooded man no heed. Lowering her shoulder, she charged right into him. Taken totally off guard, the man was knocked off his feet. Mai stumbled for a second, almost falling, but she caught herself, continuing to drag her girlfriend behind her until...

"Whew…I…think…w-we're…clear…" Mai release Reo's hand, collapsing against the wall of the alley and gasping for breath. Reo crumpled to her knees, trembling like a machine on overload about to fly apart.

"R-Reo?"

Mai leaned down, placing a light hand on Reo's shoulder. "Hey…we're alright…we got away…Reo…?" She leaned around to look into Reo's eyes, and her blood turned to ice.  
Reo was just…staring. Her gaze was dead, vacant, her eyes bulging in horror, tears streaming down her face as she gasped shallow, rapid breaths.

"Ohh…"

Reo stiffened, gasping as Mai wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in the blonde's neck. "Hey…hey…it's alright." She whispered. "It's alright…"

"M…maiiiiii…." Reo whispered, her voice cracking. "Th-that guy…he got…t-that THING…"

"It's alright, Reo…we got away…it's alright…we're safe…"

_*Be-Beep*_

Mai leaned back from Reo, her hand instinctually reaching for her hip. "W-was that my phone...? Jeez, and always at the WORST times…my girlfriend's TRAUMATIZED, if you…don't…mind."

Reo wiped her eyes, turning to look at Mai, who was staring at her phone. "What? What's the matter?"

"It's…um…it's downloading something." Mai muttered. "W-why is it downloading something? I didn't tell it to download something! I don't even think my phone was on…!" Her fingers flicked over the touchscreen, her expression becoming more scared with every passing second. "No…no! Stop downloading! I said STOP!"

_*Be-Beep*_

Reo flinched. That sound had come from HER phone…pulling it out and flipping it open, she stared in horror as the download bar inched its way across the screen.

"Okay, to stop downloads, you press and hold…" Reo pushed her finger to the progress bar, a stop download bar appearing on screen. Her heart soaring in relief, she hit the 'cancel' option.  
Nothing happened. Reo's heart stopped. Progress bar, cancel, nothing. Progress bar, cancel, _nothing_. Progress bar, cancel, _NOTHING…_

"Mai..." Reo whispered, watching the progress bar approach the end of its route. "I can't stop it! What's going on…?!"

97 percent…98 percent…99…

_*Ding*_

Instantly the screen went black. Reo's stomach lurched in horror. Mai stared at her screen for a few seconds, tapped the power button a couple of times, and then swore under her breath.  
"Reo…did your phone just die?"

Reo nodded. Mai dropped her arms limply to her sides, shaking her head. "It's an attack…it's…we're right in the middle of a freaking TERRORIST attack…! They've taken the square, they've killed communications…!"

*_Ding*_

The screen of her cell phone blinked on, Reo's following suit seconds later. Mai blinked, and then erupted in uproarious laughter.

"Ha…ahaha! HAHAHA! YES! Thank GOD for small miracles!"

But as Mai stared at the phone, her expression changed from ecstasy to confusion, from confusion to shock, and from shock to horror. Reo steeled herself, and then lifted her phone, her eyes roving over the white letters that had appeared on the screen:

_Initializing Demon Summoning Application._  
_Prepare to defend yourself._  
_Peaceful days are over._  
_Let's Survive._

* * *

Mai's lungs felt as if they were about to burst. It wasn't easy to run in the dress shoes and skirt she had changed into for their leisurely walk around the town, let alone run at full tilt for three straight minutes. Reo was wheezing like she was about to pass out. But they couldn't stop. No way could they stop. If they stopped, the monsters would get them.

Monsters. They were being chased by monsters, monsters that had appeared in a flash of light from their cell phones. If it hadn't hissed and lunged menacingly at her throat, Mai probably would have found the thing chasing her somewhat cute: Her cell had summoned a cat, normal-looking enough except for a head of bright blue hear that clashed with its brown and white fur, and a conical sedge hat perched on its head. Reo's cell had brought forth what could only be described as a fairy: the size of a small child, with a head of bright red hair, clad in a blue jumpsuit and bearing a pair of gossamer wings. It had giggled a soft, tinkling laugh, and then tried to fry them both with a bolt of lightning.

Mai looked up: someone was running towards them. Long pink hair tied in ponytails on either side of her head, dressed in the Saint Michael's uniform. She was red in the face, waving her arms over her head like a lunatic and screaming something…

"NO! NO, GO BACK! BACK THE OTHER WAY!"

A second later, something else rounded the corner. Reo let out a scream of terror.

The other student's pursuer? THIS one was downright hideous: it looked like a horrible, orange bipedal canine, clad a golden chest plate and loincloth. Saliva oozed from its snarling mouth, and clenched in its hand was a massive metal club.

The two of them screeched to a stop, turning to flee: a bolt of lightning crashed down in front of Mai, knocking her to the ground. A second later, the fairy-like creature and cat monster dropped down from the roof of a nearby building.

_"Teehee…you won't escape us THAT easily_!" The fairy laughed.

_"If we kill you, we will have our freedom!_" The cat monster declared.

_"To that end…we will chase you until doomsday, to the ends of the earth if we have to!" _A guttural voice that had to belong to the dog-monster snarled from behind them. _"You will NEVER escape us_!"

Their laughter rang through the alley as they closed in: Mai backed up, pulling Reo along with her until she found her back pressed against the wall. The dog-monster laughed rancorously.  
"_Nowhere to run! Nowhere to hide! Time to DIE, humans!_"

Reo whimpered in terror: she had lost any composure she had retained up to this point, and buried her face in Mai's chest, unable to watch. The other student had slid down the wall, her gaze vacant: it looked to Mai as if she had passed out from fear.

_"So afraid, so pathetic!" _The fairy grinned triumphantly, raising her hands above her head as blue sparks crackled around them. _"Don't worry…the pain will only last an instant_."

Twisting loose from Reo's grip, Mai lunged at the fairy.

The monster faltered, looking stunned. _"W-what the…?!_"

"MAI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Reo shrieked.

Mai clenched her fist, wound up, and before the fairy had time to react she had punched it with all her might. The creature let out a shriek of pain, the impact sending it tumbling end over end before it smacked against a garbage can, bouncing off and falling flat on its face.

"_Owwwww…."_

The other monsters looked completely stunned. So did Mai. She stared at her fist in wonderment for a few seconds, then looked up to face the other two monsters, pulling her right foot back and going into a fighting stance.

_"Wh_…_how in…She laid Pixie out with one punch! I thought humans were supposed to be soft and weak! What's going on?!" _The cat screeched.

_"Kabuso, RELAX!_" The dog snapped. _"The other two are soft and weak, just LOOK at them! We'll kill them, and then gang up on the tall one! She can't beat both of us!"_

Mai tightened her fists, glaring daggers at the monsters. "You're NOT going to hurt Reo, you freaks!"

Kabuso, the cat, simply laughed, putting its paws together. _"Just watch us!"_

The monster grinned as it pulled its paws apart, revealing a ball of shimmering, green-tinted air that hovered between them.

_"ZAN_!" It shouted, launching the ball towards Mai.

Unsuspecting of this manner of attack, Mai was caught completely off-guard. The ball of wind smashed into her arms, forcing its way past them and into her chest. She gave a grunt of pain as she was blasted off her feet, Reo ducking out of the way before she smashed into the wall and slid down.

"MAI!" Reo dashed to her side, shaking her shoulder. "MAI?!"

Mai tried to answer, but all that came out was a strangled wheeze before she flopped over onto the ground, motionless.

"Mai?! MAI!? MAI, GET UP! SAY SOMETHING!"

"Look out!"

Reo heard the other student's yell, and threw herself to the ground as the dog swung its club at her: she felt the wind whooshing off the top of her head. The monster's deep, rasping laughter echoed off the walls.

_"HAH! ONLY HUMAN! I WAS A FOOL TO THINK A MONKEY LIKE HER STOOD A CHANCE AGAINST A DEMON!" _The beast crowed, standing triumphantly over Mai's prone form. It hefted its club, its lips pulling back into a fanged smile. _"You're still a nuisance, though…better to kill you now!"_

Reo's body moved on its own. Before she had realized what she was doing, she had snatched a garbage can lid, holding it like a shield. "H-hey, you big mutt!"

The dog blinked, turning to face her. Its eyes roved up and down her petite, trembling form, and its smile widened.

_"What, you want to get involved, TINY?!" _It chuckled, winding up with its club. Reo didn't even have time to react: it plowed right into her. She felt her feet leave the ground, and suddenly she was flying, the wind whistling past her ears and her vision a spinning blur before she hit the ground, tumbling and rolling to a stop.

"_Losing your touch, Kobold?_" Kabuso's voice seemed to come from the other side of a mattress.

_"I-I don't know!" _Though Reo's thoughts were pretty much an incoherent mush at this point, she could still hear the twinge of fear that had entered the dog's voice. _"Something's wrong: that attack should have ripped her in half!"_

_'He's right…' _The realization came to Reo slowly through the pain. '_I just took that club of his dead on…and I'm still alive. It hurt, but...I don't think he even BROKE anything…!' _Suddenly, she gagged: a foul stench had invaded her nostrils, at the same time a heavy weight descended on her chest.

_"I don't know how you survived my strike, human…_" Kobold snarled from above her. _"But let's see you stand up after I've crushed your sku-HEY!"_

The weight was lifted: Reo scooted backwards as fast as she could. She looked up at the beast, and her blood turned to ice.

Mai had leapt onto the monster's back, grabbing it in a headlock and hanging on for dear life as it pitched and swung itself to and fro.

"_Get OFF of me, human! I SAID LET GO!"_

_"Hold still, Kobold!_" Kabuso had summoned a ball of crackling flames, and had squinted one eye shut, aiming. _"I've got her! AGI!_"

With a roar of anger, Kobold seized the bow on the back of Mai's dress, yanking her loose and tossing her at Reo. The two of them went crashing to the ground in a heap. Kabuso sent the ball of flames on its course about a second before he realized his intended target wasn't there anymore.

_"Oh, crap! KOBOLD, LOOK OUT!"_

The dog wheeled around, his eyes widening a second before he got a face full of fire. Thrashing wildly and howling with rage, Kobold staggered backwards and crumpled to the ground, twitching.

Kabuso blinked. _"Oops…alright, let's try that again."_He muttered, generating another ball of shimmering air. Reo disentangled herself from Mai, grabbing the garbage can lid and bracing herself.

"_ZAN!_"

The ball of air smashed into the lid with a resounding clang. Reo grimaced as a gust of wind roared past her ears, but other than that, she didn't think she was hurt.

_'Alright…time to go on the offensive!'_

Reo scrambled to her feet, fixing her foe with her steeliest glare. The creature stumbled back, bringing its paws up to guard itself. The cat looked terrified now, staring at the little blond girl like she was the devil himself.

_"M-my attacks! My spells! No human's EVER survived an attack from a demon! You…what…what ARE you people!?" _The creature babbled. Reo brought her makeshift weapon to bear, stepping forward.

_"S-stay back! STAY AWAY FROM ME! ZAN!"_

Reo lunged forward, dodging the ball of air and raising the lid over her head. With a battle cry, a grunt of pain and a loud metallic clang, she brought it down on Kabuso's head, knocking the creature on its face.

_"Nrr…guhh…beaten by humans…this is humiliating…" _Kabuso groaned, struggling to its feet. Reo jumped back, but the creature held up a paw.

_"Relax. I know when I'm licked. And it doesn't matter whether I lose to a demon or a human: a loss is a loss…and there are rules."_

"Rules?" Mai was getting to her feet, bracing herself against the wall and clutching her stomach. "What's it…talking about?"

_"There are rules." _grunted Kobold, the creature pushing itself up on its club. _"Ancient rules. We are demons, creatures that value strength above all things, and are bound to serve a summoner who bests us in combat."_

_"I can't BELIEVE you two!" _Pixie squeaked, rising shakily into the air. _"You imbeciles actually got us Contracted to HUMANS! What kind of demon lets that happen?!" _Kobold let out a guttural laugh.

_"Let's not forget who fell FIRST, Pixie. Besides, these humans weathered our attacks and defeated us fair and square. Who knows: humans who could subdue demons on their own…they could prove to be interesting masters."_

"M-masters?" The pink-haired girl's voice was hardly above a whisper. "W-we're…your MASTERS?" Kobold turned to face her: she flinched, but he merely lowered himself to one knee, planting his club into the ground and bowing his head.

_"Human, state your name."_

The girl mouthed wordlessly for a second, staring bug-eyed at the genuflecting beast. "Nanami. Oda Nanami." She finally blurted. Kobold grunted in affirmation.

_"The pact is sealed: I am bound in service to thee, Oda Nanami, and I shall protect thee with my life. I am Kobold, the Touki! I shall wield this club in thy name!"_

There was a flash of light, and Kobold vanished: Nanami stepped back as her cell phone flashed in her pocket. Pixie stared forlornly at the spot the dog had vanished, then rolled her eyes and turned to Reo.

_"Ugh, let's just get this over with. Name?"_

Reo snapped to attention, dropping the garbage can lid with a loud clang. "Kawamura Reo!" She said. Pixie shrugged.

_"Well, congratulations, you're my master now. "_

_"Ahem…"_

Pixie rounded on Kabuso, who had crossed his paws. _"I don't think those are the words, Pixie."_

_"Oh, for the love of…you don't seriously expect me to say something so hokey!_" Pixie snapped. Kobold's eyes narrowed into slits.

_"Pixie…"_

_"Ugh, FINE!_" Pixie snapped, dropping to one knee. _"The pact is sealed: I am bound in service to thee, Kawamura Reo, and I shall protect thee with my life. I am Pixie, the Fairy and…I dunno, my magic is at your disposal, or something…whatever…"_

Kabuso looked satisfied as Pixie vanished into Reo's cell phone, grumbling under her breath. He turned to Mai, lowering himself to one knee. _"What is your name?_"

"Sawaguchi Mai."

Kabuso nodded. _"The pact is sealed: I am bound in service to thee, Sawaguchi Mai, and I shall protect thee with my life. I am Kabuso, the Beast. Use my powers as you deem fit."_

There was a flash of light and Kabuso vanished into Mai's cell. Once again, silence fell over the alleyway. It was a GOOD silence, bringing with it a realization that slowly came to Mai as her thundering heart returned to normal.

"They're gone…" Mai whispered, more to herself in anything. "Ha…haha…those…those monsters are gone! We're alive! Reo, we're ALIVE!"

Reo let out a squawk of protest as Mai jumped forward, wrapping her arms around the blond and squeezing with all her might. "Ow, my arm! Geddoffme, dummy!"

This got Mai's attention, and she leaned back, holding Reo at arm's length and looking her over. "Oh, jeez, I forgot! Kobold got you good, didn't he…y-you're not hurt, are you?"

Reo swatted Mai's hand away as it inched towards her shirt. "I know what you're trying for, Mai! Jeez, and at a time like this, too...I'm fine. At least I had a shield; you took that cat-thing's attack dead on!" Her eyes narrowed. "And come to think of it…"

_*Whack!* _"Ow!"

"DON'T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" Reo shouted, tears springing to her eyes as Mai rubbed her arm where she had been smacked. "Flopping over like a rag doll and wheezing…! I thought you were dead, darn it! Jerk! Mai, you DUMMY!"

Mai waved a hand breezily, trying to ignore the dull ache in her abdomen and spine: now that the anesthetic effect of her adrenaline was wearing off, it was actually starting to hurt…

"Aah…knocked the wind out of me, that's all. I'm just glad you're okay…oh!"

Mai turned around, Reo leaning out from around her to follow her gaze to the other student. The pink haired girl was standing at the end of the alley; she had cupped her hands into a megaphone and was shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Onee-Sama! ONEE-SAMAAAAAA!"

"Hey!" Mai called. The girl looked up, startled. "You okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Nanami, if Mai had heard her right, ran up to them, eyes wide and face pale. "P-please! You have to help me! Senpai's gone! We were walking home and those things came out of our cell phones and we ran away and I don't know where she is and...!"

Nanami didn't get to finish her thoughts: there was a commotion from somewhere behind her. Mai stared over her shoulder, and her blood went cold.

"Get behind me! Now!"

A hooded man was standing at the other end of the alley, shouting something. He rushed in towards the group, two more hoodie-clad figures following close behind. Mai raised an arm defensively, trying to block the man from the two girls behind her.

"Back o-...urgh!" Mai's threat choked off: the movement of her arm had sent a jolt of pain across her torso. Instantly, her other hand shot to her stomach, but the sudden movement just made it worse. Mai wobbled for a second, fighting not to pass out. The man darted forward, kneeling down and looking at her with an expression of pure...concern?

The man said something, again in a language that Mai didn't understand. Her heart started to calm itself: it didn't look like he wanted to hurt her, Reo, or Nanami. Now all she had to worry about was the language barrier.

"I don't...understand...what you're saying..." Mai said slowly, half to make herself as understandable as possible and half to keep the pain in her chest to a minimum. The man paused, then pulled out a cell phone and spoke something into it. Pressing something on the touchpad, he held it out to Mai.

"Does it hurt bad?"

It was stilted, mechanical, but Japanese nonetheless. And it was a yes-or-no question, even better. Mai shook her head. The man didn't seem convinced, but he shrugged nonetheless, pointing at the two girls behind her, speaking again into the phone.

"And them? Are they hurt?"

Mai shook her head again. The man nodded in affirmation, turning and saying something to his two comrades. They gave a grunt of agreement, giving snappy salutes and running off. The man held the phone to his mouth, speaking quickly now, his eyes flicking now and then to somewhere behind the girls.

"Alright, I know you have a lot of questions, and that you're scared. But right now you need to trust us. It's not safe here." The phone translated. "You need to follow us and stay close. If we can get you to the park, we'll answer all your questions. You understand. Just stay quiet, follow us, and we'll make sure you get out of this alive. Understand?"

"I-I think we should do what he says..." Nanami muttered. "What if there are more of those things out there?"

She had a point...Mai didn't know what to do. On one hand, these were the guys who nearly hurt her beloved Reo, which could never be forgiven. On the other, she was in no way ready to go another round with any more of those monsters...

Something on the man's arm beeped loudly. He shouted something, his eyes going wide as he pushed Mai out of the way, raising his arm over his head. Mai caught a glimpse of a flash of light and a feathered wing as something exploded at the other end of the alleyway. There was a horrible shriek of pain, shrill, deafening, and most certainly not human.

Mai turned back to the man. "Lead the way."

* * *

Reo's heart was flipping around like a rubber duck in a wave pool. The silence that the group traveled in was deafening. The positioning of the three mysterious people, one in front and two in back, made her feel less 'protected' and more 'surrounded'. Twice she had seen something inhuman dart into an alleyway or behind a building. And her feet were KILLING her. She was just about to ask just how much farther the men were going to drag them when something on each of the men's arms beeped loudly.

The man in front snapped something that Reo couldn't understand, but by the tone of it, it had to be pretty vile. The other two turned around, grabbing their batons and getting into defensive positions.

"W-what? What are you doing? What's going on? What's happening?" Nanami babbled.

At that moment, three shapes came crashing down from the sky. Nanami let out an ear-piercing shriek.

Kobolds. Three of them, snarling and hefting their clubs, stepped menacingly forward. If the hooded men felt an inkling of fear, they didn't show it (though it was hard to tell much of anything with their faces hidden), and they stared the creatures down, aiming their batons.

But then they stepped back: the air behind the kobolds had begun to ripple. Reo's hand shot out, squeezing Mai's. There was a burst of profane-looking energy, and a new demon towered over the group.

This one was the worst one yet; a huge, scowling face, mounted on a black and white star-shaped body that hovered about a foot off the ground. Twisted spikes of hair stuck out in all directions, a goatee spiraling out from the creature's chin. The monster took a deep breath through its nose, and then turned its gaze on the group.

_"Ahhhhhh...LONG has it been since I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, graced the human world with my presence!" _It boomed._ "It does my heart good to see the cattle look as delectable as ever!"_

_"Lord Kaiwan...!" _One of the Kobolds had turned, kneeling before the star-shaped abomination. _"You need not expend the energy to slay these...fragile mortals. Let US kill them, and we shall give to you as tribute their brains and entrails!"_

"Eww..." Reo muttered. The threat didn't seem to deter the men: they had gathered themselves, placing themselves between the creatures and the girls, raising their left arms high over their head. Kaiwan grinned a rotten-toothed smile.

_"What's THIS? The cattle rebel against me? You think you can harm Kaiwan the Magnifi-?"_

The air around the men erupted in light and power. Mai's hand instinctively shot up to cover her eyes. Kaiwan snarled, floating backwards as the Kobolds shielded their eyes. _"Wh-what is this?!"_

"Ohh...o-ooohhh..." Nanami gasped. "Look at that! _L__ook!" _Mai slowly lowered her hand.

_'Whoa...!_'

Humanoid beings had appeared out of thin air, clad in crimson armor wielding shields and spears, all held aloft by feathered, jet-black wings.

"T-they're amazing!" Nanami's eyes were wide and filled with tears, her smile stretching across her face. "They're beautiful! They're...ANGELS!"

Kaiwan scowled. "_This doesn't make sense...why would angels serve..._" the monster mused. Then it nodded, smirking. _"Ahh...I see. So THIS is his game. Underhanded, yet ingenious."_

"What doesn't make sense? What are you babbling about?!" Reo shouted. Kaiwan closed his eyes in satisfaction.

_"It matters not_._"_ the monster said simply. _"Those angels overestimate their power, as they always have. I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, shall feast on your flesh and your souls. Kobolds, KILL THEM!"_

This was what the Kobolds were waiting for: brandishing their clubs, they roared as one. The hooded men raised their batons. The angels aimed their spears.

_"Prepare yourselves, you feathered weaklings!"_

One of the Kobolds darted forward, winding up to strike the angel. The next second, the monster was sent flying in several different directions at once. The angel had waved its spear in a fluid, graceful movement, carving up the Kobold with the precision of a scalpel. The other Kobolds recoiled as pieces of their ally thudded to the ground in front of them, evaporating suddenly into plumes of black smoke.

"Ah! Ahaha! HAHAHA!" Nanami cheered. "Awesome! They're _amazing! _Go, angels, go!"

_"Er...Lord Kaiwan...?" _One of the remaining Kobolds stammered, twitching its head in a manner that suggested it was trying to keep its eyes on both its master behind it and its opponents in front at once. _"To kill one of us with such ease...these angels...they're stronger than you told us they were! Perhaps, o Kaiwan, you could lend us your powAAAAARGH!"_

The creature howled in agony as the star-shaped demon let loose with a massive bolt of electricity, engulfing the canine and vaporizing it instantly. Kaiwan frowned deeply, glaring at the remaining Kobold, who had fallen on its rear and was trying to scuttle away from the pile of ash that used to be his comrade.

_"The angels ARE weak, insect! You are merely WEAKER!" _Kaiwan snapped. _"Sigh...stand aside. Alas, if one wishes something done properly, one must do it himself."_

The center angel raised its shield. _"You shall not harm these children, Kaiwan. We shall rend your accursed body asunder."_

Kaiwan gave a dark chuckle, sparks starting to dance over his body. _"No being can 'rend' Kaiwan the Magnificent. But you're welcome to try!"_

_"So we shall!" _Declared the angel, raising its spear. _"Brothers, TOGETHER!"_

The other two aimed their spears, the tips dancing with white energy. _"HOLY DANCE!" _They shouted as one,

An eruption of rainbow-colored energy blasts erupted from their spears, converging on Kawain. They exploded against him, the concussion from the each of the blasts shaking Mai's ribs and throwing up huge clouds of smoke.

_"Pitiful. I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, have never been so insulted!"_

A gust of wind blew the smoke away from within, pushing the angels back as they tried to stay in the air. The apparent leader of the divine trio stared in horror.

_"That..that cannot BE!"_

Kaiwan didn't seem to have a scratch on him. The monster's lips curled into a smile as it gazed hungrily at the angels. _"Let Kaiwan the Magnificent, show you a REAL attack! ZIODYNE!"_

Streams of blue-white electricity surged from the tips of Kaiwan's arms, converging into a single blast of energy that exploded against the center angel's shield. The divine warrior was shoved backwards, wings beating furiously as it tried to keep its balance under the onslaught of lightning.

The lead hooded man spun to face his friends, barking an order. Whatever he said, it didn't sit well with the others, and they shook their heads vehemently, beginning to speak. The man started screaming at the top of his lungs, gesticulating wildly, waving them in the direction of the road beyond Kaiwan. His friends hesitated for a second, hung their heads, and then returned their angels, waving their arms in a clear message to follow them.

Mai wasn't about to argue.

"Go! Run! Don't look back!"

Mai, Reo and Nanami took off running after the hooded men, dashing past the distracted demon. Kaiwan ceased his attack, turning his gaze to the fleeing schoolgirls and their escorts. This was all the opening the angel needed. Pumping its wings hard, it lunged forward, driving its spear into Kaiwan's eye.

There was no blood. The demon let out a shriek of pain, shaking its body and trying to dislodge the angel. Finally the demon let out an explosive burst of electricity, knocking the angel flat on its back. Mai and the others just kept running.

They didn't look back. Not even when an explosion shook the ground under their feet. Not even when Kaiwan's triumphant laughter echoed over the rooftops.

* * *

"Reo...we made it...! We're safe!"

Reo was almost too tired to care. As their hooded escorts led them into the park past a checkpoint guarded by three of their comrades, her knees knocked under her, and for a second she was afraid they wouldn't support her weight. It was the first time she had ever fought for her life, the first time she run so far and so fast at once, and now that the danger had (hopefully) passed, all the exhaustion seemed to be catching up and hitting her at once.

If this was what exercise felt like, she didn't like it one bit.

Mai gasped as Reo fell against her, clutching her arm desperately for support.. Under any normal circumstances, this would have sat just fine with her. But Reo's hands felt clammy, her face was bright red, and her breathing was labored.

"Mai...I can't...not another step."

"Oh god, Reo...you look horrible..." Mai whispered, wiping the sweat from the other's brow. "C'mon, stay with me...I'll get you into the shade..."

It was easier said than done. The park was packed with people, and the jostling of their movement nearly dislodged Reo from Mai's grasp a couple of times. But through sheer force of providence, there was a shady patch of grass under a spreading tree.

"Easy...easyyyy..." Mai set Reo down in the shade as slowly and carefully as she could. The blonde groaned as she sank into the grass, her eyes closed in bliss and the shadow of a smile of relief starting to form on her face. Mai started to breathe easy again.

"I saw some of those hooded guys handing out water bottles." Said Nanami. "I'll grab some for us."

"Good idea." Said Mai, casting a nervous glance over to Reo, pressing a hand to her forehead.. The bright red color had left her face, and her breathing was slowly returning to normal, but she still had that clammy, sweaty feel to her. "With all that running we did in this kind of weather, we need to watch our fluids."

"Got it."

Nanami walked off. Mai sighed, laying down on the grass next to Reo, allowing herself to relax for the first time in what felt like forever.

She wasn't quite sure when she dozed off, but the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her on the shoulder. She opened her eyes to see a plastic water bottle being held in front of her. "Thanks..." She murmured, taking the beverage with a nod. Sitting up, she uncapped it, watching as the pink-haired girl shook Reo awake, holding out another bottle to her.

Reo snatched it without a word, practically ripping the top off. Throwing her head back, she drained the bottle in three massive gulps.

Mai chuckled, holding out her bottle. "You want-"

Water went everywhere as Reo seized the bottle, lifting it to her mouth and sucking it dry, even patting the bottom a few times to make sure she got everything. The pink-haired girl chuckled, sitting down next to Mai and holding her own water bottle out.

"Here." She said, smiling. "You need it more than I do: you went toe-to-toe with those things and I just hung back..." Mai nodded as she took the bottle, uncapping it and taking a long drink.

"Whew...thanks. Actually, I don't think we've been formally introduced." She held her hand to the girl. "I'm Mai Sawaguchi. This is Reo Kawamura, my girlfriend." She gestured to the blonde next to her. "And I see you're Saint Michael's, too."

The girl shook Mai's hand, nodding. "Oda Nanami, first year. Well, second year, considering we just moved up...actually, I think we've met before."

Mai cast her mind around, trying to remember. "We did?" The girl nodded.

"I wanted your advice for love was, remember?"

Mai thought for a moment, then nodded in affirmation. "Oh, _right_! Jeez, that was a while ago...sorry I didn't remember right away, Nanami-san."

"No, no...it's alright."

The three sat in awkward silence for a few seconds.

"So now what?" Nanami mused, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"I don't think there's anything we CAN do at this point." Mai said bitterly. "According to the creepy hooded guys, there are monsters all over the city. Heh...this is like some crummy Shonen manga...or a video game. At the very least, the three of us are safe, so that's something."

Nanami's eyes went wide. "W-what did you say?" she gasped.

"That the three of us are safe?" Mai sat up. "Why, is something wrong?"

Nanami's hands had shot to her mouth, the color draining from her face. "Oh my god..._Yuuna-sama_! I can't believe I forgot! I still don't know if she's safe! If she's out there with those monsters, she could be...no! No, I have to find her!"

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a second!" Mai pushed herself upright as Nanami turned to leave. "Where do you think you're going?"

Nanami spun around, waving her arms. "If anything happened to Yuuna-sama, I don't know what I'd...I'm going to find her!" She turned to leave again

"The heck you are!" Mai got to her feet, dashing in front of Nanami and blocking her path. "The city is crawling with those monsters, you can't just run out there by yourself!"

Nanami glared up at her. "I'll be fine! If a monster attacks me, I'll run away!"

"Nanami-san, listen to me! You need to calm down, you're not thinking straight!"

"I AM thinking straight!" Nanami shrieked. "I _need_to find Yuuna-sama!"

Mai took a deep breath, weighing her words. "Do you know _where_ she is? How do you plan on keeping her safe if you find her? What happens if there's a monster out there that's faster than you? What happens if you run into _Kaiwan_?"

Nanami opened her mouth, eager to respond. But then she paused, and closed it slowly, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as she realized that Mai was absolutely right.

Mai nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I know how you feel, Nanami-san. If Reo was the one lost out there, I'd lose my mind worrying about her. But running off half-cocked into that warzone will get you killed. _Will_." She emphasized, noticing Nanami was about to speak again. "Listen, those hooded guys came to protect us from those monsters, and they escorted us here where it's safe. I bet there's a whole bunch of them out there right now looking for survivors. I'm not sure I trust them yet, but they obviously know what they're doing. What do you say we go up to them and ask them to keep an eye out for her?"

Nanami nodded, biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. Her hands had balled into quivering fists Mai hesitated for a second, then kneeled down and pulled her underclassman into a hug.

"It's gonna be alright, Nanami-san. We're gonna get through this."

"_Unyunyunyunyunyu~_!"

Mai jumped and relinquished her hold on Nanami instantly: she knew that sound, a rather bizarre-sounding quasi-growl that never failed to send chills down her spine. Sure enough, there she was: Reo was outwardly glaring at them, her eyes flicking from Nanami to Mai and back again. "Maiiiiii..."

"She was about to cry! I was being courteous!" Mai said quickly, cringing as her voice cracked from her nervousness. Reo's scowl deepened. "Look, her Senpai's missing, and we were thinking of asking some of those hooded guys if they've seen her. Reo...she's really scared. She _really_ wants to make sure her Senpai's safe, it's obvious that she _REALLY _cares about her...!"

_'Oh, please...for the love of all that's holy, take the hint...!'_

Reo sighed, shrugging. The iron glove around Mai's stomach unclenched.

'_That was close. Reo can hold a grudge better than anyone I know. She must be too tired to stay jealous...thank god for small miracles...'_

"The guys I got water from spoke Japanese." Nanami's voice was nearly inaudible. "Maybe we can ask them."

"Good idea." Mai nodded. "At the very least, it'll be good to be able to hold an actual conversation with one of them. C'mon."

The three of them jostled their way through the park to where a series of long lines had formed.

"Just like that, people, keep it organized! There's no need to push!" A voice was shouting. "We have enough for everybody!"

"Shoot..." Mai muttered. "Those lines are huge...we'll be standing there all day before we have a chance to talk to them. There's a group over there, and they don't look like they're doing anything...excuse me!" Reo and Nanami had to run to keep up as Mai dashed over to the three hooded men. Or in this case the two unhooded young men and the old lady: this was progress. It gave her a face to talk to. Now if they could only speak Japanese...

"Excuse me, do you understand me?" Mai asked as the three of them looked up, crossing her fingers.

"That I can. Can I help you?" One of the men said, the other two shaking their head and walking away.

"_Finally_..." Mai muttered under her breath. "We just have a couple of questions." The man chuckled.

"A rather common sentiment. There are dark times ahead of us all, and you deserve to know what is about to transpire. Luckily, Father Phillips is preparing a speech to explain the situation to everyone in the park. Once the last of our rescue teams return to us, he shall begin."

Mai blinked. The man had a rather...embellished way of speaking, like he was acting in some kind of play. "Thanks for letting us know. We'll be sure to listen in."

The man bowed. "My pleasure."

"Actually, we'd like to know something else, too." Mai continued.

"Very well, then. What do you wish to know?"

Nanami stepped forward. "My Senpai. Yuuna-sama's missing and I don't know if she's safe."

"Tell me more about her, please. What does she look like?" The man asked, pulling out his cell phone and poising a stylus above it.

"Her name is Yuuna Matsubara. She's about _this_ tall," Nanami gestured with her hand, "and she has long blonde hair down to _here_, she has blue eyes, and she's wearing a uniform just like mine."

The man hung his head. "I see. Unfortunately, I do not know her location offhand. My sincerest apologies, but there are many caught in this horror. It is all my brothers and sisters can do to keep track of the victims, both living and deceased. Do not despair, child." he chuckled, noticing the color drain from Nanami's face. "I may not know your Senpai's location at the moment, but I assure you, the Flock will do all we can to make sure you two are reunited."

Nanami didn't look happy, exactly, but there was a definite glimmer of hope in her eyes now.. "Thank you!"

"My pleasure." The man bowed again. "Forgive me, but I must continue to aid the rescue operations. Keep your faith strong, all of you. Farewell."

He turned and strode away. Reo pulled a face.

"'The Flock', huh?" She muttered.

"Eh, they're not TOO bad." Mai shrugged. "They've got a flair for the dramatic, I'll give them that, but they're not as shifty as I thought they were."

"The guy I got water from talked pretty normal. Maybe it's just this guy who's a ham." Nanami piped up.

Reo stepped in front of Mai, frowning. "Hey, hey! What's this about 'not as shifty', Mai? One of them tried to knock my head off, remember?"

"Yeah, but he told us, like, five times to back off. If he wanted to hurt us, he would have done it..." Mai muttered, bowing her head in thought. Suddenly she gasped, and a look of disgust fell over her face.

"Ohh...no WONDER they were boxing us in back there! They wanted to keep the monsters in one place so they could mop them up easily. When people broke through the blockade, they brought the monsters with them, so the Flock had to chase them down..."

"Jeez, they planned for everything, didn't they?" Reo crossed her arms. "These Flock people are really on top of things. They have angels in order to fight these monsters, they have supplies to feed the entire city, they have a safe area all ready for us...they even knew when and where this was going to happen, didn't they?"

Mai caught the current of venom in Reo's words and chuckled nervously. "That doesn't mean anything, Reo. We don't know anything about these guys besides their name and the fact they fight demons. They probably have some way of finding out if something like this was about to happen that we don't know about."

"Maybe..." Reo looked away, mumbling something.

"In any case..." Nanami said slowly. "That...Phillips guy is supposed to give a speech, right? I just hope HE clears things up."

* * *

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and a chill had entered the air when a booming voice over a loudspeaker caught the three's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I know you're all probably wondering why you're here and what's going on. The last of our rescue teams has just reported in, and now our leader, Father Phillips, will explain exactly what happened. Thank you for your patience."

The people in the park fell silent at once. There was the sound of a microphone being handed off, and then a new voice spoke.

"Thank you, Brother Louis." The new voice was deep, powerful, and thick with a drawling, undefinable accent. "Ladies, and Gentlemen, my name is Father Archibald Phillips. I understand you're all frightened and confused. I hope to clear things up, so as to put your minds at ease, and make the journey back to your everyday lives a smooth one.

"My organization is known as The Flock, of which I am the latest in a long line of grandmasters. We've existed since medieval times, fighting behind the scenes to protect the human race from the greatest threat it has ever known: demons."

A chill ran through the crowd at the sound of the word, spats of disbelieving muttering beginning to break out.

"I understand it's hard for some of you to believe." Phillip's voice came again. "Hard to believe that such horrible beings could exist, let alone find their way into our world. But many of you, I assume, have seen these demons with your own eyes, and know what horrors they are capable of. We learned that the demons were about to strike here, and we attempted to avert a crisis. And, my friends, I must apologize. For we failed to prevent the outbreak.

"But fret not!" He boomed. "For We swear to you that we _will not rest_until the scourge has been eradicated. Our organization has made a pact with God himself, and the angels he has trusted us with will protect you at any cost. I assure you all, peace WILL come again. For the moment, we merely ask your cooperation with us: this will be a difficult battle, and will require everyone working together. But I am confident it's a battle we'll be able to win. Thank you, and God bless you all! And oh yes: before I leave, if there is a Matsubara Yuuna in attendance, please come to the stage: someone is looking for you. That goes for everyone else. If you're missing family or friends, please come to the stage, and we will do our best to reunite you with the ones you care about."

There was a bit of scattered applause: most people seemed unsure what to make of it. Nanami was clapping wildly.

"Did you hear that?" She turned to Mai and Reo. "They remembered! They remembered to call for Yuuna-sama!"

Mai smiled. "Feeling a little better?" She asked.

"Yeah. At least I know they're looking for her." Nanami pulled her legs up again, resting her chin on her knees.

"I hope they find her..." Mai reached into her shirt pocket, pulling out her cell phone and booting it up. "I'm glad my family's out of town. At least I know they're safe. Might as well give them a call, though...tell them that I'm doing okay, all things considered..."

"It won't work." said Nanami. "I tried to turn my phone on our way here, but it spit out some error message and shut back off again. I would've called Yuuna-sama if I could."

"Darn, I'm getting the same thing..." Mai snapped her phone shut. "Jeez, whatever happened back there with those demons must have fried it or something. Well, we've done all we can do for now. We should get some sleep." She looked over to Reo, who had curled up on the grass, snoring quietly. "I'm completely bushed." Laying down next to Reo, she sighed in contentment and shoved a hand up the blonde's shirt.

"GAAAH!" Reo sat bolt upright with a shriek. "MAI! What was that for!?"

Mai giggled. "I was tired, so I was going to fall asleep! I've had a rough day, and I need all the 'you' I can get!"

"We're in public, dummy!" Reo snapped. "And furthermore, your hand was like an ice cube!"

"Oh...sorry about that." Mai brought her hands up to her mouth, breathing heavily into them a few times before turning back to Reo. "How's this?" She reached out for Reo's shirt.

"Get away! Mai, you dummy! Jerk! I'm sleeping over _there_!"

And with that, she got up and stormed away, plopping herself down in another patch of grass. She stayed there for about ten seconds before she got to her feet and walked back to the two.

"Aww, I knew you'd come around!" Mai giggled.

"That's not it!" Reo cast her mind around. "I-I heard it was gonna rain tonight. I wanna be under the tree so I don't get rained on!"

Mai cast a glance upwards: there wasn't a cloud in the starry night sky. "If you say so." She shrugged. "I promise I won't try anything funny. We can at least cuddle, right?" Reo lay down, rolling over to try to get comfortable.

"Whatever."

_Good enough_. Mai crawled over, draping an arm around Reo and pulling her close. "Good night, everyone..."

"Mmph...Good night, Mai..."

"Good night..." Nanami pulled the ribbons out of her hair as she stifled a yawn, then laid down in the grass, resting her head on her arms. It wasn't easy to get comfortable: she tossed and turned a good while before she found a spot that worked somewhat. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep sigh and tried to relax.

"_GAAAH! _MAI!"

"Sorry. Couldn't resist."

Nanami's grip on her own forearm tightened. _'Onee-Sama...please be safe...'_ She thought, as she felt herself drifting off into uneasy sleep.


	2. Day 1: Violent World

Day 1:

Violent World

Once again I would like to thank Blargel for taking the time to beta-read this!

* * *

Mai found herself being shaken awake, and she opened her eyes to see a wrapped bar of CalorieMate being held in front of her. Pushing herself upright, she took the food from Nanami with a nod and a 'thanks', opening it as Nanami sat down beside her. Reo was already awake, voraciously eating her own piece of cookie. Mai leaned over, giving her a hug.

"Good morning, Reo." Reo nodded, saying something that was utterly lost behind the mouthful of energy food. Good enough, Mai thought, giving the blonde a quick peck on the check and turning to Nanami.

"How'd you sleep, Nanami-san?" Mai asked. Nanami fumbled with her own package, finally managing to get a grip on the wrapper and pull it open.

"I didn't…" She sighed. "I can't stop thinking about Yuuna-sama. She hasn't shown up all last night or this morning, and my cell phone's still not working…"

Mai took a bite of her food: she felt as if she hadn't eaten in days, and even the taste of the energy bar, which could just _barely_be defined as "fruit flavored" felt like heaven in her stomach. Chewing and swallowing, she turned to Nanami, trying to smile.

"The Flock's got people looking all over the city, don't they? They'll find her, I'm sure of it." She said. "Just try to eat, Nanami-san. It'll do you good."

"Yeah…"

The three sat in silence for a while, eating breakfast and watching the crowd. It was a diverse bunch of people, businessmen, boyfriends and girlfriends, mothers with children, all of them having been caught in the middle of the outbreak. Strangely enough, there didn't seem to be as many Flock members around as there had been yesterday. The ones that they did see looked to be in a real hurry to get somewhere. Mai turned to Reo, about to say something, when something vibrated in her pocket.

"Hang on a second."

Mai pulled out her cell phone, and then froze. She glanced between Reo and Nanami. Both of them were holding their cells as well, and seemed to be realizing the exact same thing.

"It's WORKING!" Nanami cried. "My cell phone's working again!" She flipped it open, fingers poised over the buttons. "Come on, boot up! I wanna call Yuuna-sama-!"

But as Nanami watched, the familiar menu didn't appear. The screen remained lit up, white and blank. The joy and anticipation slowly dissolved into annoyance, then worry, before finally settling on fear.

"Mai-sama…what's it doing? It's…it's not going to bring out another demon, is it?"

Mai realized she was recoiling away from the girl, tensing herself to run. But then the screen turned black, and a deep clanging noise, like a church bell, rang out from the speaker. A second later, words appeared on the screen. Mai and Reo positioned themselves over Nanami's shoulder as the three of them leaned in, squinting to read the message:

_Welcome, new user of the Demon Summoning Program._

_First and foremost, I wish to congratulate you. Subduing the demon summoned by this application was no easy task, and in doing so you have taken your first step down the road to becoming a full-fledged Demon Tamer._

_Be warned, however: the life you have led up to this point is over. The path you will walk from this moment forward will be an arduous one, fraught with peril. How you walk this path will be your choice, and yours alone. Will you aspire to become a god among mortals? Will you attempt to uncover the truth behind these events? Do you wish simply to survive? Whatever your choice, it will hinge entirely on how well you wield this application. If you prove yourselves worthy, you will gain access to power beyond your wildest dreams. If you do not, you will perish. I look forward to observing your progress._

_Best of luck to you,_

_'Cypher'_

Mai took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in a whoosh. "Whoa…"

"Mine's doing it too." Reo was staring down at her phone in shock. "Demon…Summoning Program?" She spoke the words carefully, deliberately, as if she was trying to convince herself she had actually read them. "So…what? Is this thing saying we can actually CONTROL those things?"

Mai's mind snapped back, returning to the memory of the first time they were attacked. She remembered how they had fought for their lives against three monstrous demons, and had overcome them through sheer luck. She remembered how the creatures had bowed to them, swearing their loyalty…

"Those demons…they were telling the truth." Mai shook her head in disbelief. "We beat them in combat, and now they serve us…"

"I don't care about any of that!"

Mai was brought out of her thoughts by Nanami's shout. The pink-haired girl was hammering her phone's buttons, gritting her teeth. "I just wanna talk to Yuuna-sama, you stupid phone!"

Suddenly, her face lit up: she had hit the back button and the words had vanished, revealing for a second her normal phone menu. Mai caught a glimpse of her wallpaper: a stately, beautiful girl with long blonde hair clad in white lingerie.

But then Nanami gave a scream of frustration: the screen had changed again, more words appearing on it. Mai leaned in for a closer look.

_To the user of the Demon Summoning Program,_

_Despite what one would think, Man's fate is far from immutable. A single decision is often all that is needed to decide whether someone lives or dies. This function of the Demon Summoning Program will help you make the right decisions, so as to avoid an undesirable conclusion to your story._

_It is called the Mortician's List: your personal glance into the destinies of your fellow humans, destinies that DO NOT have to come to pass. Fight well to protect these people, for they may be of use to you on your journey._

_Best of luck to you,_

_'Cypher'_

The screen changed again. Mai took one look at it, and her stomach churned.

_Name:_ _Abe, Takashi. Cause of death: Demons. Location: Central Plaza. 7:30 am Status: Averted_

_Name: Ayase, Miya. Cause of death: Demons. Location: Saint Michael's Academy Gymnasium. 7:00 PM Status: Active_

_Name: Ayumu, Kyouko. Cause of Death: Demons, Location: Saint Michael's Academy Gymnasium. 7:00 PM Status: Active_

_Name: Azumi, Risa. Cause of Death: Demons, Location: Saint Michael's Academy Gymnasium. 7:00 PM Status: Active_

_Name: Chou, Sakura. Cause of Death: Demons. Location: Saint Michael's Academy Gymnasium. 7:00 PM Status: Active…_

It felt like summer warmth had been sucked out of the air. Mai continued to flick her way down the list. Name after name after name. The list of names seemed endless.

'Mortician's List…' Mai's hands were trembling. 'These names…these people will all be…'

"Ohh! OHH! OH GOD!"

Mai jumped about a foot in the air. Nanami's shriek was like a knife to her eardrum. She spun around to face her: Nanami's eyes were wide and starting to brim with tears, her face ghastly pale as she stared at her cell.

"Y-y-yuuna-sama! S-she's…she's gonna be…!"

Mai turned back to her phone, flicking her finger across the screen, scrolling the list downwards. J section, K section, L section…

And there it was. Right near the top: _'Name: Matsubara, Yuuna. Cause of death: Demons. Location: Convenience Store parking lot. 12:00 pm. Status: Active'_

"Yuuna-sama…Yuuna-sama's gonna be…she's gonna…!" Nanami looked to be on the verge of nothing less than a total mental breakdown. Mai cringed: people were starting to stare.

"Nanami-san, calm down!"

"CALM DOWN?!" Nanami rounded on Mai in a show of uncharacteristic fury. "Yuuna-sama gonna get KILLED, and you want me to calm down?! You want me to just…just SHRUG and accept that she's going to be ripped apart by demons?!"

"NANAMI-SAN!" Mai shouted, grabbing Nanami's shoulders and giving her a solid shake. The pink-haired girl was so stunned, she didn't retort. Mai took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "_She doesn't have to!_Look…!" She held up her cell phone, pointing at the screen. "It says it outright, 'these destinies do not have to come to pass'. This thing, this 'Mortician's List'…it tells us when, where, and how it's gonna happen. It'll happen at noon, in front of a convenience store, and demons will be what kill her."

Nanami nodded, the admittedly obvious conclusion coming easily now that she was starting to come out of panic-mode. "So if we play our cards right…we can get there first, head off the demons and save her!"

"_How?_"

Reo had finished up her meal and was approaching the two, crossing her arms. "We were running on pure luck when we fought the demons our cell phones summoned, and we STILL barely made it out alive! You want us to go toe-to-toe with MORE of them?"

Mai held up her cell phone, shaking it for emphasis as a smile grew slowly on her face.

"Reo…we don't HAVE to fight them ourselves." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Our demons can fight them FOR us!"

Reo blinked, stunned at the prospect. "R-really? You really think they'll protect the people we tell them to?"

"You heard them back there, we're their masters now!" Mai's brain was reeling, the pieces clicking one after another into place. "Haha…this is crazy! This 'Cypher' guy…he's given us _everything we need_! We have a way to find out what's gonna happen to the ones we care about, AND a perfect way to prevent it!"

"But WHY?!" Reo threw her arms out. "Why create the program? Why give it to US? We don't know the first thing about this 'Summoning Program', or this Cypher guy and you're going to trust him because of a few emails? Forget it! We have NOTHING to do with this!

Nanami glanced around nervously. "Maybe we should ask for backup from the Flock, just in case."

Mai looked up. There were hardly any of the hooded men in sight. "They look like they've got their hands full. I don't know if they have any spare guys to go after her. Besides..." her gaze darkened. "The last thing that a group of demon hunters needs to hear is that we're Demon Tamers. Reo...I'm sorry, but if we want to save Yuuna-san, we'll have to do it ourselves."

"Maiiii!" Reo groaned. Mai shook her head.

"Sorry, Reo. But even if I could just leave it to the Flock it just won't feel right if I have the power to save my friend and I don't do anything with it."

Reo shook her head in disbelief, then turned away and crossed her arms with a 'harrumph'.

"Reo, come on..." Mai said soothingly.

"Hmph!"

"I'll do it." The two of them turned to Nanami, who had gripped her cell phone tightly, steeling herself. "If it means I can save Yuuna-sama, I'll do it. I'll…I'll become a Demon Tamer."

Mai gave a nod of affirmation, then turned back to Reo. "Reo, do you wanna stay here?"

"HMPH!"

Mai nodded. "Alright." And with that, she sat down, opening her cell phone.

"Mai-sama, what are you doing?" Nanami said incredulously. "_We have to go!_"

Mai looked up. "The Mortician's List said that Yuuna-san would be killed at noon, right? It's 10:30 right now: we have time to study up on how this program works. As long as we're in front of the convenience store before noon, we'll be able to save her. Hey, she might not even BE there right now! If we're going to stand a chance, we need to be prepared."

"I suppose so…" Nanami sighed, sitting down. "I guess we should get a handle on this program before we actually try to use it on anything. Alright…let's see how this Demon Summon Program works."

* * *

"Huh. That's interesting."

Nanami looked up at Mai, who was nodding. "I was wondering how I was able to survive getting hit by Kabuso's attack. I guess it has to do with this 'Harmonizer' thing: it somehow lets us fight the demons as equals."

As it turned out, there was a lot more to the program than just the Mortician's List. The program could display the vital statistics of the demons they were fighting, including their strengths and weaknesses. It could transfer control of contracted demons between anyone in their address book who had made contracts themselves. The Mortician's list had a map function: by tapping the name of someone listed in it, it zeroed in on the location of the event. The demons themselves had rules all their own: attacks, abilities, resistances and weaknesses, and even 'Race Skills' unique to each of them. And now the Harmonizer, which would let them fight on par with the demons. It was enough to make Nanami's head spin. But she doubled down, staring fiercely at the screen. She couldn't leave anything to chance: she needed to know EVERY trick the program had if she wanted to save her Onee-sama…

"Alright, it's 11:30." Mai said finally, standing up and stretching. "The Mortician's List showed which convenience store Yuuna-san will be at, and it's about a 20 minute fast walk from here. You ready?"

"Ready!" Nanami pumped her fists. Mai turned to Reo.

"We're gonna go, Reo. Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Reo said nothing, simply looking away with a small grunt. Mai turned back to Nanami, putting on her most confident smile.

"Let's get moving! We're gonna save Yuuna Matsubara!"

"How?"

Mai rolled her eyes, looking over at Reo. The blonde was glancing between them, her hands on her hips. "How are you gonna get to her?" She continued. "You need to get past the Flock first, remember?"

Mai paused, noting the subtle hint of triumph in Reo's voice. Then she shrugged, gesturing to Nanami to follow.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. C'mon, Nanami-san."

Reo's entire body seized up. "Wait, what?!"

Mai smiled inwardly at the note of fear that had entered Reo's voice, then turned and started off.

"Y-you're really serious about this, aren't you? You're really going to leave me here? Mai? Mai, wait!" Reo was outwardly panicking now as the two walked away, leaving her behind.

"Wish us luck, Reo!"

Nanami followed Mai at a jaunty pace, giving a quick glance over to Reo before she vanished from sight. "Are you sure you're alright leaving Reo-sama all alone?"

Mai's grin widened, and Nanami noticed she had slowed her steps. "Wait for it..."

Reo stood rooted to the spot, her mind whirling like a hurricane. _'She...she left me here...! Mai's really just gonna walk off and leave me all alone?!"_

A crow cawed in the tree above her. Reo jumped, squeaked, and took off at a dead run.

"Mai! MAI, WAIT FOR ME!"

* * *

The three made their way to a trio of Flock Members blocking off an exit to the park. "'Scuse me!" Mai shouted. "Do any of you understand me?"

One of the men stepped forward. "Uh, yeah. What do you need?"

"Can we get through here, please? There's something I need to get."

The man's hooded head cocked to the side. "What could be so important that you need to run out into that hellhole?"

Mai put her hands together, pleading. "Listen, I don't have time to explain. If I don't get there soon, it could be gone! Hey…" She paused, planting a hand on her hip. "We ARE allowed to leave, right? We're not, you know, TRAPPED in this park, are we?"

The men shifted uncomfortably. "Er…no. We're trying to keep you safe from the demons out there. If you leave our protection…"

Mai gestured to Reo and Nanami. "The three of us run track back at Saint Michael's." She lied. "We were able to run away from the demons back when they first appeared."

The men muttered among themselves. "Well…" their leader said slowly. "We're here to keep you safe. We don't have the authority to keep you here against your will or anything…okay, listen. What you do with your life is your choice. I think you're making a mistake, but if you're dead-set on leaving, we're not going to stop you. Just…make sure you don't do anything reckless."

Mai bowed. "Thank you. C'mon!"

Reo and Nanami followed Mai past the Flock members. It was only after they turned a corner out of sight that Reo spoke.

"Are those guys for REAL?" She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of the Flock, looking incredulous.

Mai pulled out her cell phone. "Well, now comes the hard part. We gotta get to the convenience store on 21-9 by noon if we want to save Yuuna-san. And when we get there…we're gonna have to fight. You two ready?"

Nanami and Reo nodded. Mai took a breath.

"Then let's go."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Nanami asked nervously. She gave a quick, nervous glance to her surroundings, noticing with a thrill of horror a hunched, inhuman shape ducking behind a nearby dumpster. The trio's trek around the city had only served to hammer home just how extensive the outbreak really was. The familiar sights they had passed, the cell phone store, the corner market, the everyday things that Nanami had passed just the day before, were empty shells now, the doors torn off their hinges, smears of dried blood lining the cracked windows, and the walls and roads marred with what were unmistakably claw marks. Mai glanced down at the map displayed on her cell phone's screen.

"We're getting close. Stay on your toes…"

Despite her own advice, Mai jumped as an enraged, bestial roar cut her off, causing her to brandish her phone and look rather foolish in the process. Reo fumbled with her cell phone, trying to get it open with her trembling fingers.

"Mai, that was…!"

"Yeah…" Mai nodded. "A demon. Probably one of the ones who's gonna try to kill…"

"ONEE-SAMA!" Mai was nearly knocked to the ground as Nanami shoved past her, running pell-mell down the street in the direction of the roar.

Mai rolled her eyes, groaning loudly. "Oh for god's sake! NANAMI-SAN!" She shouted, grabbing Reo's hand and dragging her along. Nanami didn't even look back. The bloodcurdling sound that had echoed around them had ignited some sort of fire in her, the realization sinking in that her beloved Onee-Sama's assailants were so close to her, as close as Nanami herself, perhaps! They were closing in, raising their claws and baring their fangs, as Onee-sama cowered helplessly from them...no, NO!

She couldn't let them get there first! She just _couldn't_!

Nanami swung around the corner, the gaudy convenience store sign coming into view as she pulled her cell phone loose. A second later, she was nearly knocked off her feet by a black mass that came crashing down from the sky. It was a split-second dodge to the side that saved her, and she stared down dumbstruck at the charred Kobold that lay in a heap on the ground where she had been only moments before. It twitched once, then dissolved into black smoke. Nanami glanced up, confused.

"What the-?"

There she was. Even from so far away, Nanami could recognize her.

"ONEE-SAMA!"

Yuuna Matsubara turned her head, looking up at Nanami as the pink-haired girl put on an extra burst of speed, dashing towards her. Nanami felt as if a balloon was swelling in her chest: Onee-Sama was safe! Her beloved Yuuna was alive…!

Yuuna saw Nanami dashing towards, her eyes going wide. She waved her arms frantically. "No, no! DON'T COME OVER HERE-!"

A horrible demon swooped out of the sky, a blue, winged creature with a grinning human skull for a face dove for Nanami, shrieking and flexing its claws.

Nanami reached for her phone, even as she realized with a jolt she wouldn't make it in time…

Yuuna raised the cell phone in her hand, tapping the screen. "Heqet, Bufu!" She shouted. Instantly, something appeared: a small, frog-like creature, clad in blue body wraps with a head of blonde hair in a bob cut. It planted itself in front of the descending demon, taking a huge breath and blowing out hard. The bird-like demon shrieked in pain as a frigid blast of air erupted from the frog's mouth, engulfing it and sealing it in a crystalline block of ice. Unable to slow its descent, the bird crashed to the ground, shattering into shards on impact and vaporizing into black smoke.

Nanami staggered to a halt, her jaw dropping open. Yuuna's arm dropped to her side, the cell phone hanging limp as the frog vanished back into it. Now that Nanami was closer, she had a better look at Yuuna. Her eyes widened with shock and horror.

The blonde looked like a corpse. Her once flawless skin was covered in cuts and bruises, her clothing all but completely shredded. Yuuna looked up, turning her bloodshot, exhausted eyes to her, and in their depths, Nanami could see relief and joy.

"Nanami…" The corners of her mouth twitched, then turned up in an exhausted smile. She laboriously raised her arms, spreading them wide in anticipation for her lover. "Thank…oh, thank god…"

The dam burst. Nanami half-ran, half-tripped forward, collapsing into Yuuna's arms as the tears flowed unimpeded. "Onee-Sama…! Oh, Onee-Sama…!" She sobbed.

"Nanami…thank god you're safe…" Yuuna whispered, her voice breaking.

"Nanami-san! Yuuna-san!"

The two of them broke apart abruptly, Nanami jumping back as Reo and Mai dashed up to them. "You…idiot!" Reo was clutching the stitch in her side. "Don't run off like that, you scared us to death!"

"That was reckless, Nanami-san." Mai had planted her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath and sound stern at the same time. "You could've been killed!"

Nanami hung her head. "I'm sorry, Mai-sama…"

Satisfied, Mai turned to Yuuna. "We're going to get you out of here. The park's a safe zone, we'll take you there."

Yuuna grinned. "You've certainly taken charge, Mai-san…" She nodded. "As expected of a class rep…"

"I don't think this is covered in our responsibilities, Yuuna-san…but I'm not about to leave behind a classmate…" Mai chuckled. "C'mon, this way…we'll get you out of here."

"Mai!" Reo shouted. "DEMONS!"

The four of them looked up at once. There was a group of them amassing near the other end of the parking lot; Nanami counted three Kobolds, along with two new species she couldn't name. There were two of the skull-headed birds that had attacked her, and a frightening specimen that seemed to be leading the group: it was a rusty red color, with the torso of a stocky, indescribable beast with razor sharp teeth and a single horn on its head, and a lower body like a snake. Its arms ended in two hooked talons. The serpent-like monster roared, a bright-blue tongue lolling from its mouth, and the group started in on the girls.

"S-stand back…"

Nanami watched in shock as Yuuna moved away, staggering towards the approaching demons and pulling out her cell phone. "Nanami-chan...you have to run...I'll hold them off as long as I can..."

Mai hurried forward and held up her phone, blocking Yuuna. Reo and Nanami followed suit, shielding Yuuna from view as they pulled out their own cells. Yuuna stared between them. "You're Demon Tamers too?"

Mai nodded. Yuuna looked relieved as she stepped back. "I'll leave these ones to you, then. I've had my fill…"

Mai ran her finger over the touch screen, tapping a series of commands. "Alright, here we go…please work! Activating Demon Summoning Program! Come forth, Kabuso!"

Instantly, the screen lit up blinding white, a bolt of energy erupting from the phone and landing in front of Mai, congealing into the blue-haired cat. The approaching demons recoiled as Kabuso hissed at them, raising itself onto its hind paws.

"Kobold!" Shouted Nanami.

"Pixie!" Reo cried.

At Nanami and Reo's commands, the dog and fairy erupted from their phones, taking up position next to Kabuso and staring down their foes.

The red snake flashed a fanged smile, throwing its head back in a throaty laugh before charging forward with astonishing speed. The girls' demons scattered as the snake brought its talons to bear, missing his intended targets and punching a hole in the pavement.

Mai's screen lit up with data as she aimed the camera at the demons. "So…we got Kobolds…and those other two species are Itsumade and Waira!"

"HOW DOES THAT HELP US?!" Reo shrieked as Pixie narrowly missed being smashed into paste by a Kobold's club. Nanami shouted an order to her own Kobold, and the dog dove forward to meet its double. It was intercepted, however, by one of the birdlike Itsumades, who dive bombed it and began slashing viciously at its face. Disoriented, Nanami's Kobold waved its club frantically, trying to get the bird out of its face. This distraction left it open to one of the opposing Kobolds, and the demon knocked Nanami's Kobold off its feet with a swipe of its club.

"Itsumade's weak to ice and electric attacks!" Mai shouted. "Reo, your Pixie has an electric move! Use it on the bird!"

Reo spun to face Pixie, who was dancing out of the way of the snake-like Waira's talons. "Pixie, use an electric move on one of those birds!"

Pixie swooped through one of the Kobold's legs, leaving it to swing harmlessly at the air as she faced an Itsumade. _"Our spells have NAMES, ya know!"_ She snapped, generating sparks of blue energy around her hands. Itsumade screeched and swooped in for the kill. Pixie thrust her hands forward. _"ZIO!"_

The Itsumade took the attack dead on, shrieking in pain and fighting to stay airborne as the voltage surged through its body.

Pixie smirked.

_"Take that, featherhead-!"_

Waira lunged, lashing out with its talons and cuffing Pixie hard on the side. She tumbled end over end, skidding to a stop on the ground and struggling to get back in the air.

"Pixie!" Reo screamed. Waira grinned, raising its talons to finish the job. Suddenly the demon roared in pain: a fireball had erupted against it. Waira spun around, fixing its livid gaze on Mai and Kabuso.

"And Waira is weak against FIRE!" Mai declared. Kabuso generated a second roiling fireball.

_"AGI!_"

Meanwhile, Nanami and Kobold had their hands full: the three wild Kobolds had decided to gang up on her own. Nanami's Kobold was doing well parrying and dodging its foes, but the onslaught left no room for a counterattack. Suddenly, Nanami's Kobold slipped up, one of its opponent's clubs glancing off its own and clipping the side of its face. Snarling, Nanami's Kobold stepped back, shielding its master as its three doppelgangers closed in.

_"Master, use my Race Skill! Turn the tide!_"

"R-right!" Nanami brought the cell phone to her eyes, finger hovering over the display. "Let's see…Race Skill…Race Skill…THERE! 'Aggravate'!" She slammed her finger down on the button.

The result was immediate. Her Kobold roared like a mad animal, raising its club over its head as a roiling blood-red aura enveloped it. The wild Kobolds stepped back as their opponent's muscles swelled like balloons…

"Sic 'em!" Nanami ordered. Her Kobold dove forward, bringing its club crashing down on one of its brethren. The wild Kobold raised its club in a feeble attempt to defend itself, but the attack simply smashed through it, snapping the heavy metal weapon like a twig. The wild Kobold's two compatriots jumped into the fray, bringing their clubs down on Nanami's demon, and simply bouncing off. It was doubtful the raging dog even noticed them. Roaring, Nanami's Kobold wound up, swinging the club into its prey's skull with all its strength. Nanami caught a glimpse of a tiny black dot vanishing over the horizon, before the wild Kobold's headless body crumpled to the ground, dissolving.

In spite of the gruesome spectacle, Nanami felt a surge of pride. "W-we did it! We got one!" Her Kobold gave a sigh of relief as its muscles relaxed, shrinking down to their normal size as Aggravate wore off. Then it turned, raising its club against its remaining two foes. The two dogs looked at each other for a second, then seemed to come to an unspoken agreement: roaring, they raised their clubs as red energy enveloped them, their muscle mass doubling in a matter of seconds…

Nanami's grin collapsed. "Uh oh."

Meanwhile, Mai was having problems of her own. It didn't seem to matter how many Agi spells Kabuso tossed at Waira: the serpent dodged all of them with ease. Waira reared up, crossing its talons as a ball of compressed air materialized in front of it.

_"ZAN!_" it barked, launching the ball at Kabuso. The cat was hit squarely in the chest by the spell, and was sent skidding backwards, trying to stay on its feet. Mai clenched her teeth.

"Nanami-san!" She shouted, trying to catch Nanami's eye. "Back off! I've got a type advantage against Kobolds! I'll take them out quickly, and then we'll gang up on Waira with everything we've got!"

"T-thank you, Mai-sama!" Nanami babbled as her Kobold narrowly dodged a swinging club.

"On three! One…two…THREE!" Mai shouted. "Kabuso, Agi on those Kobolds!"

Nanami's Kobold took a flying leap, rolling out of the way as the two wild Kobolds swung heavily at him. They spun around, roaring, and were promptly blasted by a pair of fireballs. Thrashing and howling in pain, they thudded to the ground, vanishing in plumes of black smoke. Waira dove forward, aiming its talons at Mai's back: Nanami's Kobold swung its club as hard as it could, catching the snake in the face and knocking it backwards. Mai pumped a fist.

"Alright, Nanami-san!"

Nanami watched as the Waira struggled to right itself, spitting mad. "It's not over yet…"

Back at her own fight, Reo ducked with a squeak under the talons of a diving Itsumade. Pixie wound up and launched another Zio at the bird, but it swooped gracefully out of the way, and Pixie found itself dodging a Zan. Reo gritted her teeth, growling under her breath. The Itsumade were REALLY agile…

Movement caught her eye, and she stole a split second glance over to Mai and Nanami's fight. Nanami's Kobold had bulked itself up again, swinging its club into Waira with bone-rattling force. Reo's eyes lit up.

_Pixie has a Race Skill too! I bet it can turn the tide!_

"Pixie, use your Race Skill!" She ordered. "Fairy Dust!"

_"Why?!"_ Pixie's face was contorted with concentration as she wrestled with the ravenous jaws of an Itsumade. With a grunt of exertion, she managed to swing the bird, slamming it into its double. The two crashed to the ground in a tangle of claws and feathers. _"I don't NEED to activate it right now, I'm not-!"_

"JUST DO IT!" Reo screamed.

Pixie blinked in confusion, then rolled her eyes and raised her arms above her head. A plume of glittering gold dust exploded from her wings, raining down over everything.

As far as Reo could tell, it did nothing of note.

The two Itsumades untangled themselves from each other, squawked, and took flight again. Reo stared in shock. "Wh-why didn't it work?!"

Pixie hovered backwards, generating lightning as the Itsumades closed in. _"Because I wasn't HURT! Fairy Dust HEALS things, genius!"_

The Itsumades closed in, flashing their talons as their jaws opened wide…

A surge of cold air rushed past Reo as the Itsumades shrieked in pain, ice crystals forming on their feathers and forcing them to the ground. Reo spun to face the direction of the cold wind.

"You really must commend her, Pixie. That was the best decision she could make in this situation." Yuuna smiled. "That Fairy Dust was just what I needed to get back on my feet."

The blonde, stately woman raised one of her arms, looking it over with satisfaction. The wounds that had covered her body had vanished without a trace, the exhaustion was gone from her eyes. A serene, detached expression had taken the place of the pained one, as she fixed the Itsumade with a steady gaze. "Shall I take over, Reo-san?"

Pixie let out a squeak as she swooped around another Zan fired at her, blasting the Itsumade with a Zio. _"I could use some help, if you don't mind!"_

Reo shook herself. "N-No! We can handle this on our own!"

"If you say so." Yuuna turned to Mai and Reo, who were locked in combat with Waira. Even though the snake was outnumbered, it was putting up a good showing against Kabuso and Kobold, slashing with its talons and firing Zans left and right. "Don't worry, my adorable Nanami-san! I'll save you! Go, Ogun!"

A demon erupted from Yuuna's cell phone, a fearsome-looking specimen almost human in shape, with a head of green hair, wearing what looked like a burlap outfit and a terrifying iron mask. It held in its hands a nasty-looking spear.

"Ogun, Anger Hit!"

The demon raised its spear, lunging forward with a battle cry. Swinging the weapon like a sword, it slashed a long, painful wound across Waira's chest. Waira let out a howl of pain, bringing its claws down on Ogun. The humanoid demon raised its spear, blocking the claws with little effort.  
Yuuna closed her eyes in satisfaction. "I have you now. Activate Race Skill: Bind!"

Ogun broke loose from the clinch, jumping backwards and lashing out with its hands, Iron chains flew from its sleeves, wrapping themselves tightly around Waira. The snake roared in panic and fury, struggling with all its strength against the bindings, to no avail.

Mai clenched her fists. "Kabuso, Agi! Put everything into it!"

"Kobold, Aggravate!" Nanami ordered. "Full power!"

Kabuso focused deeply, charging up a huge fireball and launching it into Waira's face. Kobold let out a roar as its muscles swelled once more, then charged forward, bringing its club down with all its strength. Waira didn't even have time to cry out as the attack crushed its skull like a grape.

Ogun retracted its chains, backing away as the Waira's headless body thrashed and flopped violently around. Mai held her breath. Nanami had covered her mouth with her hands, the reality of what she had just done sinking in. The Waira thudded heavily to the ground, twitched, and dissipated into black smoke.

"NYAAAAARGH!" Reo let out a battle cry as Pixie let fly with a lightning bolt, blasting the last of the Itsumades. The voltage was too much for the bird, and it dissolved with a shriek. Reo watched it vanish from sight as she tried to get her breathing under control.

"That's all of them!" Mai shouted as their respective demons vanished back into their cell phones. "We did it! We won!"

Nanami's entire body was trembling, her heart racing a mile a minute. Nonetheless, she managed to smile, turning to face Mai and congratulate her.

She never got the chance. Her vision went black as something struck her, nearly knocking her off her feet. She couldn't breathe! Her face was trapped inside something…soft?

"NANAMI-CHAAAAAAAN!"

Her Senpai's voice rang out above her, clear and sweet, and filled with joy. Nanami let out a muffled noise of protest as Yuuna showered the pink-haired girl with affection, kissing her all over.

"Mmph! Yuuna-sama! Not in front of them!"

"Ohh, let them look, Nanami-chan! I'm so glad you're safe!"

"SHE'S safe?!" Mai couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. Yuuna looked up in confusion and relinquished her hold on Nanami, who stepped back, gasping for air and wiping the trickle of blood from her nose. "She came to save YOU, Yuuna-san!"

Yuuna stared down at Nanami, who was fidgeting uncomfortably. "The Mortician's List said you were going to be killed by demons…I…I couldn't let that happen! I didn't even want to THINK about it!"

Yuuna stared stunned for a few seconds. Then, tears springing to her eyes, she slowly kneeled down again, pulling Nanami into another hug. The blonde seemed to be beyond words. Nanami returned the gesture, nuzzling her face into the crook of Yuuna's neck. _She's safe…Onee-Sama is safe…I saved her…_

"DEMON!"

Reo's shout made everyone jump; it was followed a second later by a thunderclap and a shriek of pain. Mai, Yuuna and Nanami both looked over as Reo returned Pixie to her cell phone, an Itsumade crashing to the ground a second later and disintegrating.

Mai turned back to Yuuna and Nanami. "Let's get back to the park. It's safe there." Yuuna reluctantly relinquished her hold on Nanami.

"Alright…lead the way."

* * *

Again, the group traveled in silence, glancing here and there for demons, fingers ready to pull out their cell phones at the first sign of trouble. But the mood could not have been more different. Nanami sighed in contentment as she leaned into Yuuna's arm, savoring the blonde's presence. _Onee-sama is safe. Yuuna Onee-Sama is safe, and I helped save her. _Nanami ran the words over and over in her head, each time bringing a swell of relief, joy, and pride. Mai seemed to have gotten in on the upbeat mood, and had taken Reo's hand in her own, and though she maintained an air of vigilance around her, she was smiling from ear to ear. Even Reo seemed to have an extra bounce in her step.

Yuuna giggled, looking down at her girlfriend. "Why, Nanami-chan…you're feeling affectionate today. And in front of Mai-san and Reo-san, too."

Nanami blinked. Onee-Sama was right: Mai-sama and Reo-sama were right there, and for all of her talk about keeping her relationship secret…

But then she realized she didn't care.

"Well..." Nanami muttered. "I guess it's okay if they're the only ones who know." She looked up at the two girls in front of her. "You won't tell anyone, right?"

Mai couldn't help but chuckle. _Tell anyone about WHAT? _She thought. _The only thing that would have made it more obvious is if you said it outright._

Still, she nodded. "Don't worry." She called back. "Your secret's safe with us!"

Well, that got that out of the way. Nanami sighed, relaxing again into her Onee-Sama. Mai rounded the corner, froze, and jumped back, dragging Reo along with her with a squeak of surprise. Pressing her back to the wall, Mai held up a hand, signaling the others to stop as she and Reo glanced around the corner.

"Demons?" Yuuna guided herself and Nanami into position, following Mai and Reo's gaze. Indeed there were: two Kobolds were about halfway down the road, pacing back and forth restlessly.

"They haven't seen us yet. So now what?" Mai whispered. "The fastest way to Central Park's through here. Do you want to find another way…or go through them?"

"I'd rather avoid a fight…" Said Nanami. "But I want to get to safety as soon as I can."

Reo pulled out her cell. "They're just Kobolds. We can take them easily, right?"

Mai nodded. "Alright…on the count of three, we ambush them." She pulled out her cell phone, holding it at the ready. "One…two…three!"

The team stepped out from around the corner, pulling out their cell phones. Mai took a deep breath, ready to call for Kabuso, when the air rippled around the Kobolds, erupting in evil-looking energy. When it cleared, a star-shaped demon towered over the two dogs, who instantly fell into poses of genuflection.

Reo let out a grunt as she felt herself tugged backwards again behind the corner. Yuuna and Nanami followed suit, diving into cover and peering out at the trio of monsters. "A friend of yours?" Yuuna whispered.

"Kaiwan…" Reo muttered. "Mai, we gotta get out of here…!"

"Hang on..."

"Wh-Mai!" Reo glared down at Mai. "We gotta go! If he sees us...!"

"Shh!" Mai hadn't taken her eyes off the demons. "I can't hear what they're saying!" The four of them leaned out as far as they dared, straining their ears to try to catch the demon's conversation.

_"So…you have procured what I requested?"_Kaiwan was saying. One of the Kobolds nodded, stepping forward and holding something out.

_"Yes, Lord Kaiwan." _The dog rasped. "_Right here, as you desired!"_

Kaiwan smiled, letting out a booming laugh. "_Well done! Kaiwan the Magnificent is pleased! Now, lay them before me! Place one there…one there…and one there_!"

"_Yes, Master_!" The Kobold bowed deeply, placing the things he was holding down on the ground where his master had indicated and stepping back. Kaiwan took a deep breath, then let out a grunt of exertion, bolts of energy erupting from his arms and striking them.

Reo's hand tightened on Mai's. "What's he doing…?" Mai could only watch as plumes of sinister, reddish-black smoke roiled upwards from the ground. She shook her head, unable to tear her eyes away.

"I don't know…"

Shapes were rising out of the smoke. The all-too-familiar silhouettes of three Kobolds stood up out of the smoke, as if they had come from the earth itself. They stretched their limbs, hefting their clubs, before stepping to greet their comrades, kneeling down before their master. Kaiwan gave a dark chuckle.

"_The humans will pay dearly for taking the eye of Kaiwan the Magnificent. Go now! Find more cell phones and bring them before me! We shall summon more of our brethren, overrun the human's defenses, and feast upon their corpses!"_He declared, vanishing in a flash of light.

Mai let out a long, slow breath. "Whew…glad he didn't see us. Still…" Her eyes narrowed as a trio of Itsumade took flight out of the smoke. "THAT could be a problem…that miasma looks like it'll keep summoning demons until they overrun everything."

"So what do we do?" said Yuuna. Mai pulled out her phone, watching as a trio of Waira rose out of the fog, slithering away into the darkness of a nearby alley.

"Kaiwan was asking for cell phones. He must be able to make the Summoning Program go haywire."

Reo nodded, pulling out her phone as well. "So if we stop the phones…"

"We stop the fog." Mai turned to Nanami and Yuuna. "You two ready?"

The two of them pulled out their phones, giving nods of affirmation. Mai turned back to their targets.

"Alright, we'll use our demons to keep them occupied. When they're suppressed, we'll run like mad to the fog and smash the phones. Ready? One…two…THREE! GO, NOW! KABUSO!"

The quartet burst as one around the corner, Kabuso, Pixie, and Kobold appearing in flashes of light. Nanami stole a glance over to Yuuna in time to see not one, but TWO flashes of light erupt from her phone: Ogun charged forward, bellowing a war cry, followed by the strange frog-lady demon.

The Kobolds were just welcoming another trio of Itsumades into their fold when they realized they were under attack. Two of them were blasted clean off their feet by Kabuso's Agis, disintegrating in midair. Pixie let fly with a flurry of Zios, vaporizing two of the Itsumades. The third wove around the electric blast, swooping for Reo's face with a shriek of rage.

"Heqet, Bufu!"

At Yuuna's command, the frog-demon took a deep breath, exhaling a stream of cold wind and freezing the Itsumade solid. Reo ducked out of the way as the frozen bird smashed to the ground, shattering into pieces. Nanami's Kobold brought its club down on one of the wild ones, locking them into a clinch. Straining to keep its foe pinned, it turned to Nanami as she dashed past it.

"Master, GO!" He barked. Nanami put on an extra burst of speed, taking a flying leap and landing in the middle of the roiling black fog.

There was a split second of resistance, and then a crunch of plastic as she felt something give way under her feet. Almost instantly, the miasma cleared around her.

_One down_… She thought, turning to another miasma roughly six feet away. Dashing over to it, she raised her foot again.

Something burst from the heart of the fog, a blue blur surging forward with a screech and slamming into Nanami's chest. The force of the Itsumade's tackle knocked the air explosively from her lungs, lifting her off her feet and sending her sailing backwards. She struck the ground hard, and the Itsumade was on her in a second, squawking furiously. Nanami covered her face with her arms as the bird-demon began clawing every inch of her it could reach…

"NANAMI!" Yuuna screamed. A second later, the Itsumade was run through by Ogun's spear, vaporizing it. Yuuna brought her foot down in the center of the miasma, crushing the phone and dissipating the fog. She gave the remains a few grinds with her heel for good measure, then dashed over to Nanami's prone form. "Nanami! NANAMI!"

"Nnmrph…" Nanami groaned, clutching her stomach and pushing herself upright. "Oww…"

"Nanami, are you alright?!"

It was almost surreal seeing Yuuna panicking like this, thought Nanami. But as far as she could tell, she was perfectly fine: for as long and sharp as the Itsumade's talons were, the vicious assault had left her with a few superficial scratches on her arms. One or two of them were deep enough to bleed, but overall, Nanami couldn't even consider herself really injured. Even the ache from the blow to her solar plexus was starting to fade, and her breathing was coming under control again.

'The Harmonizer.' Nanami realized. 'That's right…I'd probably be dead if I didn't have it….'

She reached out, taking Yuuna's hand as the blonde helped her up. Yuuna turned and glared at a trio of approaching demons: two Itsumades and a new demon: a small, pale girl clad in red, with purple hair that flowed unnaturally around her, hovering about a foot off the ground. Ogun and Heqet took up positions as Yuuna clenched her fists, pulling Nanami close.

"You accursed demons…harming my Nanami…! Your lives are forfeit!"

* * *

Mai dove to the side, the Waira's Zan whizzing overhead. "Darn it! Reo, I need some help!" She shouted as Kabuso fired an Agi: the Waira wove around it and lashed out with its claws, Kabuso barely escaping with its head.

"SO DO I!" Reo shrieked as Pixie tried desperately to evade the slashing claws of a flock of six Itsumade, tossing a Zio over her shoulder and vaporizing one of them. Mai looked over at the remaining miasma as yet another Waira erupted from its depths.

_'Tch…there's just too many of them!' _She realized with a jolt. _'If this keeps up…!'_

That's when Ogun struck: it dove forward seemingly out of nowhere, driving its spear deep into Waira's chest, hoisting the snake clear over its head and slamming it hard into the ground again, giving the weapon a twist and dissipating it.

"Take that! And THAT! AND THAT!"

Mai stared in awe as Yuuna's demons laid into their foes with brutal efficiency, cheered on by their master. Heqet took a huge breath, Pixie gasping and diving out of the way as the frog exhaled, launching a Bufu that froze all five of the Itsumade at once, smashing them to bits on the ground. Ogun turned its helmeted gaze to the pair of dueling Kobolds, jumping high into the air and crashing down onto the wild one, impaling it and driving it to the ground.

"RAAAAARGH!" Yuuna braced herself against the ground, then took off at a full run, charging directly at the last remaining Waira. The snake only realized what was about to happen a second before it actually did: Yuuna wound up and punched the demon dead in the face. Waira let out a grunt as the Harmonizer-powered haymaker knocked it flat. It lay prone for a moment, staring up in terror at the slim, blonde girl glaring daggers down at him. Then it scrambled upright and slithered off as fast as it could, vanishing into the darkness of a nearby alley.

Satisfied, Yuuna stepped forward, crushing the last remaining cell phone under her heel, then turned to the others, smiling sweetly at their dumbfounded expressions.

"That should do it. Shall we continue to the Park?"

* * *

"Whew! We did it!" Mai let out a sigh of relief as she collapsed into the grass. She and her friends had been fortunate enough to avoid running into any demons on their way back to Central Park, and had slipped past the barricades without any real questioning from the Flock. The four had procured a bottle of water and a bag of chips apiece, and had sat down at the bank of a large pond, allowing themselves to relax for the first time since they had left the barricade that afternoon. Mai pulled out her cell phone, opening up the Mortician's List and scrolling down to Yuuna's name. To her immense relief, the Status no longer read 'Active', but 'Averted'.

"A toast!"

Reo looked up in confusion as the dark-haired girl snapped her phone shut and raised her bottle high. "Say _what_?"

"A toast!" Mai repeated."We went out and saved Yuuna-san's life, shut down Kaiwan's demon-summoning plot, and made it back here with a minimum of bodily harm! Overall, I'd say 'mission accomplished'!"

Reo stared blankly at her lover for a few seconds, then groaned, shook her head, and took a huge swig of her water. Mai shrugged, then held her water bottle out to Nanami and Yuuna. Nanami giggled, leaning forward and tapping her bottle lightly against Mai's, Yuuna following suit a second later. Uncapping their bottles, the three took a drink as one.

"Ugh..." Mai held her bottle out to Reo as the blonde grudgingly tapped theirs together and drained the remainder of her water. "This BETTER be the last time we do this, Mai!"

Mai crunched on a chip. "The...toast?"

"The whole demon taming thing, dummy!" Reo shouted. Mai waved her hand frantically, shushing her as a trio of Flock members walked by.

"Not so loud!" She whispered as soon as they were out of earshot. "We don't need the Flock finding out!"

"Oh, right..." Reo nodded, actually looking apologetic for a moment. Then she seemed to realize something, the indignant look back on her face in a snap. "Wait a minute, why do I care? I'm DONE with demons!"

"Seconded..." Nanami had just got back from throwing her empty bottle away in a nearby recycling bin, sitting back down and leaning into Yuuna's arm again. "I'm exhausted...my heart was racing through that whole fight! I seriously thought I was gonna die..."

Mai chuckled, munching down the last of her chips and stuffing the empty bag in her pocket. "Me three...it looks like the Flock are back from wherever they had vanished off too in the morning. Now that Yuuna-san's safe, I think we'll be able to leave it to them from here on in..."

'Beep-beep'

_'Text?_' Mai instinctively reached for her cell phone, as Nanami and Reo did the same. The realization seemed to come at the same time, as they looked between each other, nervousness growing on each of their faces.

"All at the same time..." Nanami said slowly. "Y-you think it's from..."

"Who CARES?" Reo jammed her phone back in her pocket and leaned back, supporting the back of her head on her palms in the perfectly overdone image of relaxation. "I already said I'm DONE with demons! Cypher can go jump off a bridge!"

Mai flipped her cell phone open as Nanami and Yuuna looked over her shoulder:

_To the user of the Demon Summoning Program,_

_Congratulations. You have overcome your first real trial, and proven yourself to be a capable Demon Tamer. However, do not think for a moment that this ordeal is over. Many demons still remain in your city and if they are allowed to continue their rampage, the history of mankind could very well come to a premature end. As I have said before, the life you led up to this point is over. Make no mistake: the path of a Demon Tamer is that of combat, and to stray from this path will invite a catastrophe upon your world the likes of which have never been seen._

_To survive this ordeal, demons are a necessity. The demons summoned by the startup of the application were bound to obey you when you bested them in combat, but the demons summoned by other means are exempt from such rules._

_To add to your infernal army, you must utilize the Devil Auction._

_As you fight and conquer opponents, you will gain Macca, the currency of the Demon World. Macca is a monetary representation of your fighting abilities: the better you fight, and the more powerful opponents you defeat, the more Macca you will earn. Once you have earned enough, you may use these wages of sin to purchase contracts off of the Devil Auction, and recruit more demons to your cause._

_Best of luck to you,_

_'Cypher'_

Mai paused, reading the message over again a couple more times. "That's...a little creepy. A message that tells us to stay and fight JUST as we're talking about quitting?"

Yuuna shook her head. "I got the same message a ways back. I think Cypher's just underlining how important this is."

"I DON'T CARE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS! IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM!" Reo shouted. Mai ignored her as she focused on one paragraph in particular.

"Devil Auction...a way to get new demons on your team. Hey, you must already have it, Yuuna-san!" Mai turned to Yuuna. "I was wondering how you have more than one demon under your control."

"I DON'T CARE HOW IT WORKS!" Reo yelled. "I ALREADY SAID I'M DONE!

A few minutes ago, and Mai may have agreed with her girlfriend. The two battles against the demons had been exhilarating in their own way, but the rush of her life on the line was not something Mai wanted to repeat.

Still...

Still, as she read over the message again, the last line of the first paragraph specifically, the nagging feeling in the back of her head grew, that she may be acting in haste. That giving up the program would be a huge mistake. It was a small, quiet doubt, but it was there, and the more she thought about it, the bigger and louder it grew

"A catastrophe..." Nanami seemed to be on the same page. "We're already in the middle of the catastrophe! Wait...is there something WORSE than demons out there?!"

"Maybe...and Cypher seems to think WE'RE the only ones who can stop it if there is." Mai gave a dry, humorless chuckle. "Wonderful."

"But WHY?" Nanami seemed genuinely confused at the prospect. "What about us makes Cypher think we can stop something worse than a demon invasion?"

"I don't know." Mai said slowly. "But if there is something like that waiting in the wings...and Cypher really does think we have a chance to stop it...it's better to HAVE the demons on our side and not need them."

"WHAT?!" Reo shot bolt upright, staring in shock and anger at Mai.

"I-it's just a feeling I have!" Said Mai. "I mean, it's really thanks to Cypher that we saved Yuuna-san, right? If we didn't have the Demon Summoning Program, we wouldn't have been able to do anything. The more I think about it, the more it feels like throwing something like this away could be a big mistake."

Reo seemed beyond words, mouthing and managing only a few incoherent squeaks before she sprang to her feet. "Fine! If you're gonna go out and get yourself killed, FINE!"  
Mai shrugged, spreading her hands. "I never said that!" she laughed. "All I said is that we should learn more about what's going on before we make any rash decisions about what to do!"

"There's nothing to know!" Reo snapped, her voice cracking. "I said it over and over again that I want NOTHING to do with this! Demon Tamer._.._" She muttered. "Mortician's List, Devil Auction...'the life you have led up to this point is over'?! But what if I LIKED the way my life was going, Cypher? What about that? I don't want some 'path of combat!' I don't need the pressure of wielding demons against 'catastrophes' on top of everything else that's been happening! Who does he think he is, dumping these responsibilities on us?! I just want to be a normal high school student! I want to live a normal life, with normal problems!"

"Reo..." Mai stared at Reo as she took a deep breath.

"I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!" She screamed.

Mai dropped to her knees, pulling the trembling blonde close, stroking her hair soothingly. "Shh...it's alright, Reo...it's alright."

"SHUT UP!" Reo pulled away, running a short distance away before turning back to the three of them, glaring at them with teary eyes. "Dummy! Stupid Mai! I'm gonna go get snacks, and I'm not bringing any back for you!"

And with that, she stormed away. Against Mai's better instincts, she failed to suppress a small snicker. "Wait, what?"

"Amazing how she can take such a childlike approach to such a serious issue..." Yuuna mused. "Your girlfriend is certainly...spirited."

"Still..." Mai gave a deep sigh. "Her being angry doesn't change anything: Cypher's right that things are gonna get worse before they get better. We gotta do everything we can to survive. Speaking of which..." Mai turned around and pulled out her cell phone. "You should teach us how to use the Devil Auction, Yuuna-san."

"I don't think there's anything really to teach, Mai-san, it's really straightforward." Yuuna held out her phone as she and Nanami scooched over to Mai. "It's an auction, just like it sounds."

"My...parents never let me use Yahoo Auction, Yuuna-sama..." Nanami said sheepishly. "They said I was too young to bid online. Besides, I could never really find it in me to save my allowance for something I really wanted." Her face flushed red with embarrassment. "I always bought sweets."

Yuuna giggled, leaning over to peck Nanami on the top of her head. "Here, let me show you. Look...here are the demons that are up for auction. Here's the amount of Macca you have left, over here..."

* * *

Nanami and Mai proved to be fast learners: Mai had bought herself an Itsumade, a bear-like demon called Jambavan, and, to her immense joy, had narrowly managed to outbid "Naito" for a Waira. Nanami had added an Ogun to her stock, alongside a Moh Shvuu, a demon that looked like a small pale girl with long purple hair wearing a red dress. Yuuna didn't bid, electing instead to simply watch the two. At last, Mai and Nanami had exhausted their supply of Macca. Nanami seemed rather pleased with her purchases. But there was something bothering Mai that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

She was just thinking about what it could be when something brushed by her arm, and she turned to see Reo sit down heavily, carrying a bag of chips in each hand, The blonde didn't even look at Mai as she ripped one of the bags open, removing a chip from its depths and crunching noisily on it.

"Reo..." Mai started.

"You don't get any." Reo said haughtily. "You made me mad."

Mai gave a bitter chuckle. "Reo...I know how you feel. I mean, I don't like this any more than you do. I don't want to spend time...trapped in a park, with monsters everywhere and weird hooded people protecting us. I want to go home with you, eat dinner together, and then go to sleep in each other's arms..."

Her eyes had adopted a sort of distant, misty look to them. Reo didn't say anything. Mai shook herself, and spoke with more force, more self-assurance. "But that's not an option right now. Cypher's right: whether we like it or not, this is the situation we're in. Complaining and hiding our heads in the sand, and feeling sorry for ourselves...that's not gonna change anything. All we can do for now...is what we can."

"Mai..." Reo's voice was barely a whisper..

"We're all in this situation together, Reo..." Mai shook her head. "...I need to stretch my legs."

"We'll come with you." Yuuna got to her feet, followed by Nanami. "We should stick together whenever we can."

* * *

The four of them (Reo had decided at the last second that she needed a drink of water) wandered around the park for a bit. There were a lot more people than there had been the night before, likely thanks to the Flock.

_'It would've been nice to have gotten some backup from them back when we were on "Operation: Save Yuuna Matsubara..."' _Mai thought bitterly. _'Still, they seem short-handed as it is. Not even angels can be everywhere at once, I guess. And I wouldn't like to have had to explain the fact that we're Demon Tamers.'_

Reo was finishing her long drink of water at the water fountain when something caught her eye, causing her to look up.

"What is it?" said Mai.

Reo extended her finger without a word, pointing at a mass of people standing in a clearing, all of them apparently female, and all dressed in red.

"Hey, those look like..." Nanami leaned in for a closer look.

"Yeah." Yuuna nodded. "Saint Michael's! Come on!"

The four of them dashed over to the mass of people. Most of them looked shaken and pale, and a number were sporting nasty-looking injuries.

_'Oh yeah...the Mortician's List said a bunch of people would be killed in the St. Michael's Gym. The Flock must've found out somehow and gotten to them first...thank god.'_Mai realized.

"Sara-san! Hey, Sara-san, over here!" Nanami was suddenly shouting, jumping up and down and waving her arms.

"Wait, Nanami-chan? Is that you?!"

A slim, pretty girl with long, silky brown hair standing a short distance away was shoving her way through the crowd, tossing a few quick apologies to the students she nudged aside. Mai recognized her instantly: Sara Kitajima, a famous model, and the cousin of a friend of Mai's, Kaede Kitajima.

"Nanami-chan!" She shouted, jumping forward and embracing her friend. "Oh, I'm glad you're safe!"

"It's good to see you too, Sara-san!" Nanami grinned, releasing the brunette and holding her at arms length. "So who else is here? Is Risa-san okay, too?"

Sara nodded. "Yeah. We all managed to barricade ourselves in the Gym when those monsters started appearing. Of course...the barricade didn't do much when one popped out of MY phone." She suppressed a shudder as Nanami gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. "I seriously thought I was gonna die. But Kaede-chan..." A strange look entered her eyes, a strange mingle of sadness and awe. "She was...amazing..."

Mai's blood ran cold. "Kaede-san...? You mean she's..."

Sara shook her head. "What?! No! She's not...urgh, I don't even want to THINK about that!" She sighed deeply. "She just started...pounding the thing. It was _scary_. I mean, you wouldn't think she had it in her, but she was just just 'boom, boom, boom'!" She punctuated each 'boom' with a fist smacked empathically into her palm. "The thing got in a few really nasty hits, though, but she just kept going. Finally, the thing fell to its knees, told me it had enough, and vanished back into my phone. Soon as it was gone, Kaede-chan just...collapsed."

"Where is she now?" Mai asked.

"Those hooded guys brought her to the first-aid tent. They said she'll be fine. They need civilians to stay back, though, so I'm stuck here, worried sick and waiting for Rena-sensei to give us directions." Sara crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Of course, the last time I saw her, she was still freaking out, so that might not be for a while." Noticing Nanami's surprised expression, she chuckled. "Yeah, didn't think she had it in her either. But as soon as that demon appeared, she screamed at the top of her lungs and ran for her life. In HEELS, too! Of course, we had pretty much the same reaction, but I don't think I've ever seen Rena-sensei freak out over ANYTHING before."

Nanami put on her best smile. "Well, the Flock's got angels on their side! I bet things'll work out, and get right back to normal soon!"

"Oh yeah!" Sara's eyes lit up. "Those angels were incredible: they tore through the monsters outside like they were NOTHING! If they're on our side, I bet this whole thing'll be over in a snap!"

"Wait a second..." Mai had been silently watching the conversation between the two. But now she stepped forward. "You said that Kaede actually beat one of those monsters?" Sara nodded.

"Yeah. No idea how she did it, but what can I say: Kaede is absolutely amazing..." She closed her eyes, a soft, blissful smile on her face. "When it attacked me, she didn't even hesitate. She just dove right in there. She's always been like that...whenever I've been in trouble, she came to save me. She's my Prince, after all."

Mai said nothing for a few seconds, then seemed to snap back to reality. "O-oh, yeah! That's...that's really impressive!"

Sara cocked her head to the side. "You alright, Mai-san? You seem kinda out of it. It's not like you"

Mai blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a little tired. Stressed out after everything that's happened, couldn't get comfortable last night." She gave a cavernous yawn. Sara seemed satisfied with Mai's explanation and nodded, pulling a face.

"Ugh, you're right. I'm not looking forward to sleeping on the ground. Maybe those Flock guys have sleeping bags...oh!"

The voice of a young woman was ringing out over the crowd of students, who all turned as one to its source. Sara gave a quick glance back to Nanami and the others.

"Rena-sensei, gotta go. It was good talking to you all!"

The four bid their goodbyes to Sara as the brunette followed her classmates in the direction of a nearby pavillion, and then made their way back to the pond, sitting down once again at its bank. Mai turned to face the others, a serious expression on her face.

"You know what this means, right?" She said, her voice in a solemn whisper. Nanami and Yuuna seemed to be along the same line of thought, nodding in silent agreement. Reo, on the other hand, looked completely lost.

"Wait, what does what mean? What are you talking about, Mai?"

Mai looked up, glancing nervously around the crowd and making sure nobody was listening in. "Sara said her phone summoned a demon, right? But then the demon was defeated. So..."

"So we can safely assume...that Sara is a Demon Tamer now." Yuuna said slowly.

Reo's eyes went wide. Nanami looked confused. "Huh? Wait, I thought Kaede would be the Demon Tamer. She's the one who beat it, right?" Mai shook her head.

"I don't think so. Remember, even though you didn't personally beat Kobold when it first appeared, it still contracted with you. I don't think it matters who beats the demon: if it's defeated, I think it contracts with whoever owns the phone it was summoned from." She cast her eyes downward, a thoughtful expression on her face. "That's what was bugging me." She noticed the other's questioning gazes. "I was wondering who exactly we were bidding against in the Devil Auction. We're bidding against other Demon Tamers." Her gaze hardened. "We're not the only ones. There's a whole lot of others besides us."

Yuuna seemed to be drawing the same conclusion, and her brow was furrowed in worry. "A whole bunch of terrified civilians with the Demon App trapped in the middle of a huge crisis...oh dear. That's a recipe for disaster if I've ever heard one." She said sadly. "And that's not even getting into what'll happen if criminals get access to it..."

"Okay, STOP IT!"

Reo pounded her fists on the grass, crossing her arms and glowering down at them. "I've said it a million times by now, I'm sick of talking about all this! Seriously, we saved Yuuna Matsubara's life, right? Can't we take some time to relax before jumping right into worrying about the next disaster?!"

Mai shrugged. "We had a toast, didn't we?"

"That doesn't count as relaxing, dummy!"

Despite her giggles, Nanami nodded. "I have to admit, she's got a point. We got a lot done: maybe we should take some time to rest before worrying about our next move." She turned her gaze to the West, where the sunset was turning the horizon a bright red. "Wow...I can't believe the sun's setting already. We've had a busy day..." She mused.

Reo pulled a face. "Bleeeh...going out and risking our lives fighting monsters, and then coming back at sunset and dropping right off to sleep with no time to have fun. Some summer vacation...we better not be making a habit of this, Mai!"

Mai smiled. "C'mon Reo, the sun's not down yet. We still have some time to...um...huh." She frowned suddenly. "You know, now that I'm thinking about it, there's really not much to do around here anyway...of course, we could always..."

"No!" Reo snapped. Mai seemed taken aback.

"I was gonna say we could always just, you know, talk or something." She said incredulously. "Jeez, Reo: even I'm not up to doing 'that' in public." Reo blinked in surprise.

"Oh...er...yeah. Of course not." She stammered. A grin slowly grew on Mai's face.

"Of course, we could always find an alleyway out there or something. Have our demons stand guard..."

"NO! MAI, YOU DUMMY! PERVERT!" Reo glowered at Yuuna and Nanami, who had collapsed into giggling fits. "SHUT UP! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

Nanami struggled to compose herself. "A-alright...sorry..."

"You know...Reo-san." Yuuna got her snickering under control in time for her to give a cavernous yawn. "After everything that's happened, I'd be content simply to go to sleep at this point."

"Same here..." Nanami rubbed her eyes, yawning as well and pulling the bows from her hair, stuffing them in her pocket. "I'm exhausted from all that fighting."

Reo was looking irritated. Mai patted her on the back.

"Hey, at least tomorrow we won't have anything to do like saving Yuuna-san. We can use that time to relax. Whaddaya say?"

"I'd settle for doing anything where my life's not on the line..." Reo grunted, lying down on her side.

"I'll see what I can manage." Mai lay down, draping an arm around the blonde. "G'night..."

Nanami murmured a sleepy 'good night' of her own, lying down on her back and trying to get comfortable. Suddenly, she flinched in surprise: something had pressed up against her. Snapping her eyes open again, she looked over to see her girlfriend's sleepy, smiling face mere inches from her own.

"Onee-sa...Yuuna-sama?"

"...Yessy?"

"What if..." Nanami leaned her head up, eyes flicking around, expecting at any moment to see one of her schoolmates watching them. "W-what if someone-?"

She stammered to a halt: Yuuna's lip was quivering.

_Oh, no, Yuuna-sama...please, don't..._

"Even after you came and saved my life, too..." Yuuna whimpered. "Oh...I understand...I'm a burden, aren't I? Is that it?"

"N-no!" Nanami stammered.

"Y-you had to risk your life to save little old me...and you're annoyed with me because I was in danger...is that it?"

"No, it's just..." Nanami began. But it was already too late. Like clockwork, Yuuna's big, beautiful, quivering blue eyes had utterly scrambled any arguments Nanami had.

"I guess...after everything that's happened..." Nanami sighed "Maybe just this once..."

Yuuna grinned, the sadness gone from her her face in an instant. "Wonderful." She nodded in satisfaction, leaning forward as she guided Nanami's face forward, kissing her on the lips. "Mmm...Nanami-chan?"

"H-huh?" Nanami blinked. Yuuna smiled gently.

"Thanks for coming for me. Good night, Nanami-chan."

And with that, she closed her eyes. Nanami paused, then nuzzled closer to Yuuna.

"Good night...Onee-sama..."


	3. Day 2: Friends and Foes

Day 2:

Friends and Foes

(A/N: Big thanks again to Blargel for being my beta-reader!)

* * *

The next day began much as the day before had. Mai was awoken by Reo this time, who handed her an onigiri. Nanami was awake too, happily eating her own rice ball. And sitting next to her was Yuuna, wiping the last few grains of rice off her face with her finger, aided by her reflection off her cell phone's screen.

It was a good feeling, seeing her there. Maybe it was because the odds they had overcome to save her were so steep, or perhaps it was simply the sheer joy radiating off of Nanami now that her beloved Onee-sama was no longer in danger. In the end, it didn't really matter.

'_After everything that's happened_...' Reo thought as she took a bite of her rice ball, '_It's just good to have something to be happy about again_.'

That's when Mai pulled out her cell phone.

"Mai..." Reo said dangerously. "What are you doing?"

"Mrrphl mrph...sr-rph..." Mai caught herself, swallowing the mouthful of rice. "Checking the Mortician's List."

"MAI!" Reo shouted. "You said we were gonna relax today!"

"And we are! Just...just hear me out!" Mai said quickly: the glare Reo was shooting her could have cut through diamond. "If we're going to have the day to ourselves, we might as well check the List: don't wanna be taken by surprise by anything unpleasant, you know? Huh..." She mused. "I just noticed something: my battery life hasn't gone down at all...must be because of the Demon Program. That's pretty neat..."

Reo still looked somewhat mutinous, but overall the explanation seemed to placate her, and she sat back down, giving a toneless grunt as she took another bite of her rice ball. "Just make it quick: I don't wanna think about ANYTHING having to do with demons today, got it?"

"Yes, yes..." Mai nodded, opening up the list. "The Flock looks like they've been busy." She said brightly, hoping her tone would lift Reo's spirits a bit. "With so many rescued by this point, I doubt there'll be any listings we need to worry about. Still, better to be safe than sorry..." She pressed the Mortician's List tab (indicated by a shattered tombstone icon) and skimmed the listings as they appeared on the screen. "There, you see..." She gave a satisfied nod and a smile. "There's only a few listings now. I think we can leave things to the Flock from here on...wait, what the HECK!?"

Reo started in surprise: panic was an emotion that she rarely heard in Mai's voice. Despite everything she had been vehemently insisting for the past two days straight, she found herself leaning over Mai's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse at the List. Mai's shout had captured Nanami and Yuuna's attention as well, and they crawled over to Mai as the black-haired girl's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is...why is SARA-SAN on the list?!"

If Nanami didn't see it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed it. Sara-san had been brought to the park! Kaede-sama had saved her from a demon, and the Flock had brought them both safely to the park, as well as the other students that had been trapped in the gym! They had spoken just the evening before! Sara-san was safe!

And yet...!

"Name: Kitajima, Sara...Cause of Death, _demons..._" Mai looked around at the girls hanging over her shoulders, mouth agape in disbelief, then turned back to the phone. "Location...the Central Library. 8:30 Am. Status: Active..."

Nanami had clamped both hands over her mouth in horror. Yuuna took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. A second breath, and then a third. Finally, she seemed to have collected herself. "Alright..." She muttered. "One step at a time...does anyone have any idea why she might have left?"

"Well..." Mai murmured, thinking deeply. "It can't be like us: we went out there to save Yuuna-san's life, and Kaede-san's safe in the park. What do you think, Nanami-san? You know her better than I do."

"Eeh?" Nanami drew back a bit as the three other girls shifted their gaze to her: she seemed a bit surprised to have been put on the spot all of a sudden. "I really don't know. It's not like Sara-san to put herself in danger like this." Suddenly, the color drained from her face as a horrible thought entered her mind. "Y-you don't think she was kidnapped, do you?!"

"That's a real possibility..." Yuuna said grimly. "If there are other Demon Tamers in the city besides us, it stands to reason that there could be some who are more unscrupulous than we are. The fact she's a famous, rich model could give a motive. Still...no, actually I don't think that's it. Between the fact that it lists demons as the cause of death, and the difficulty someone would have in smuggling her out past the Flock, I don't think she's been kidnapped."

"In any case, we have the 'when', 'how', and 'where'. Mai snapped her phone shut. "That's all we need."

"Maiiiiiiiii..."

Even though Mai had braced herself, the voice of her girlfriend, quivering with fury, still cut pretty deep. "Reo..."

"You..._promised_, Mai...!" Reo had the hem of her skirt gripped in both hands, and her entire body was trembling. "You said...!"

Mai gave a deep sigh. "Reo...I'm sorry. I feel horrible for breaking a promise I just made. It's just...I don't want to leave any of my friends behind. Not as long as I have the means to protect them. It'd just feel...wrong."

"You know, Mai-sama..." Nanami said slowly. "The List isn't nearly so long as it was yesterday. I bet the Flock will be able to get around to saving her, now that they're not spread so thin. Maybe we won't need to do it ourselves."

Mai looked back at the list. Sure enough, the number of entries was tiny compared to the previous day: not even one-third of its length, if she remembered correctly. Heck, most of the entries even read "Averted" by this point, where a few the day before, to Mai's horror, they had read "Accomplished". Maybe they _could_ get away with letting the Flock save Sara-san...

"Of course..." Yuuna piped up. "We have no idea how the Flock would react when they find her."

"Huh? Oh no...!" Nanami's eyes went wide. "You're right! Sara-san's a Demon Tamer! We can't just leave a bunch of demon hunters to find her! They could take her prisoner and torture her for information or something!"

"Well...I'm not sure they'd go to THOSE extremes." Yuuna couldn't help but give a dry chuckle. "But the point stands that we can't just trust the Flock to save Demon Tamers and let them go on the spot. I'm with Mai-san on this one: it may be a better idea to save Sara-san ourselves."

Mai nodded. Nanami and Yuuna seemed to be willing. That just left...

Reo pulled out her cell phone, turning it on with a fierce expression on her face. Mai blinked in surprise, taken aback by her girlfriend's sudden movement. "Reo, wha-whoa!" Suddenly, she leaned back: Reo had almost shoved her cell phone up Mai's nostril.

"Teach me how to use the auction." Reo voice was tight and brusque.

"Wait, you're coming with us?" Mai tried to lean around the cell phone to catch a glimpse of Reo: not an easy task with the screen only a few millimeters from her face. "Why the change of heart?"

"Just...just help me before I change my mind!" Reo snapped. Mai opened her mouth, then realized how foolish protesting would be. Shrugging, she took the phone from Reo, opening the auction as Reo leaned over her shoulder.

"Alright, what demon do you want? We gotta make this quick, though." Mai eyed the phone's clock nervously. "We have to get to the library by 8:30."

"That one looks cool." Reo pointed out a demon. "It says it's a dragon! Buy that one!"

"'Toubyou', huh? Alright, so to buy a demon, you have to bid against other demon tamers like this..."

* * *

By the end of Reo's shopping spree, she had bought herself the Dragon Toubyou, a fox-like 'Femme'-type demon in a dress named Kikimora, and the 'Genma' Tlaloc, a blue genie-esque demon. It had a clay pot for a head, adorned by a cartoonish, grinning, sharp-toothed face. Reo didn't look exactly _happy_ that she had just bought new demons, but she nonetheless grumbled under her breath and stuffed her phone back in her pocket. Mai checked her cell phone's clock: 7:50 am. They would just make it if they hurried.

"Alright. I hereby declare 'Operation: Save Sara Kitajima underway!"

Yuuna snorted. Mai raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

Yuuna waved a hand casually. "I'm sorry, Mai-san, it's just...you've really taken to all this, haven't you?"

Mai planted a hand on her hip. "Well, if we're going to do this, we should do it _right_."

"Whatever you say..." Yuuna looked off into the distance. "Now...how do you propose we..."

"Get past the Flock?"

Yuuna looked over to Nanami as the pink-haired girl stepped forward. "We just walked right past them last time. They're standing guard to keep the demons out: we're not their prisoners or anything."

Yuuna nodded, looking somewhat relieved at this revelation. "Well, that's fortunate. We wouldn't be of much help to Sara-san if we couldn't leave the park."

" Anyway..." Mai said, looking around at the three girls. "We'd better get moving. Is everyone ready?"

Yuuna, Reo, and Nanami nodded. Mai shoved her phone back in her pocket.

"Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

"Hey, Mai-sama?"

Mai looked a little surprised when Nanami spoke. They had been walking at a brisk pace in silence: Mai assumed that they, like herself, were steeling themselves for a fight. Indeed, the concerned expression that Nanami wore was not something that Mai wanted to see.

"The library we're going to is that new one, right? The really big one with, like, three stories?" Nanami asked. Mai nodded. Nanami bit her lip. "I was afraid of that: the Mortician's List said that Sara-san is at the library, but it didn't say WHERE." She suppressed a shudder. "I don't want to have to hunt her down in a great big building. All those bookshelves would give demons somewhere to hide..."

"HEY!"

Nanami drew up short as Reo ran in front of her, blocking her off and getting right in her face. "I already don't want to be out here, Nanami Oda! I don't need to hear you talking about all the things that could possibly go wrong!"

"I...er...wha...I...I...!" Nanami babbled, stepping backwards in terror.

"C-calm down, Reo!" Mai started forward, positioning herself in front of the blonde. Yuuna was pulling Nanami back: the shock of Reo's outburst had reduced the poor pink-haired girl to stunned, incoherent stammering. "It's just something we'll need to keep in mind on this mission, that's all! Nanami-san wasn't trying to demoralize you or anything!"

"Well, she DID!" Reo rounded on Mai, clenching her fists and standing on her toes, trying to make herself as imposing as possible as she glared right into her girlfriend's eyes. "I don't care why she's saying it! I don't want to think about wandering through some creepy abandoned library, with demons hiding in every shadow! I don't want to think about a monster sneaking up behind me and biting my hea-!"

She stuttered to a halt: Mai had moved forward, guiding Reo's face to her own with a gentle hand on her cheek. The expression on her face silenced Reo's protests: the smile on her face was the sort Reo had only seen at those very special times. The twinkle in her eyes was not that of mischief, the smile was not the sort of cocky, self-assured expression that Reo had learned to define her girlfriend by. It was an expression of utter kindness and devotion, and as she looked at it, Reo felt the anger and fear that had been boiling through her begin to ebb.

"Reo..." Mai said softly. "It'll be fine. You'll be just fine. I swear I will never, ever let anything hurt you."

Reo averted her eyes. "...Promise?"

"I promise." Mai pulled Reo close, running her fingers through her long blonde hair. "I swear it. Now...you ready, Reo?"

Reo said nothing for a few seconds. Then she pulled away, looking back at Mai with fire in her eyes. "Yeah!"

Mai turned her gaze to the distance: the library's roof, a shiny, new, metallic green loomed a few blocks away over the other buildings. The confident twinkle was back in her eyes, the self-assured smile back on her face.

"Alright...let's go!"

* * *

Sara stared as a white-garbed member of the Flock ducked under the swinging club of a Kobold, bringing his arm back and cracking the demon across the face with his baton. The dog crumpled to the pavement of the library parking lot. The other Kobold let out a howl of pain as a crimson-armored angel bashed it in the face with its shield, pulling its spear back and driving it into the demon's chest: the dog dissipated into the familiar black smoke.

"Look, I'm telling you, it's not like you think!" She shouted as the Kobold staggered to its feet, holding its jaw and looking furious. "If you'll just _listen _to me...!"

The Kobold let out a yelp as the Flock member ferociously smashed the top of its head with his baton, and it collapsed to the ground again. Sara staggered back, blinking and silenced, as the hooded man stormed over to the twitching dog, raising his foot and bringing it down hard on the demon's face: the dog vanished instantly into smoke. The Flock member watched as his angel dispatched the final demons, a Waira and an Itsumade, with two massive bolts of lightning. Then he turned slowly back to Sara. The angel landed next to him, the cold, impassive gaze behind its helmet matching the expression of its master's and boring a new pair of holes into Sara.

"I-I wasn't doing anything wrong!" Sara insisted. "I just-!"

"Enough. I don't want to hear it." The Flock Member said coldly, holding up his hand. His Japanese was stilted, and he mispronounced a few words, but his stern tone was more final than any shout. "I have _no _idea how you've managed to do it, but you've contracted with demons, young lady. I assure you that what you've done is VERY wrong."

"I...I..." Sara babbled.

"Stay quiet and follow me. We need to get back to the park." Said the Flock member, turning to leave. "And when we get there, you're going to have a lot of explaining to..."

The sky exploded.

There was a thunderclap as a bolt of blue-white energy came crashing down from above, giving the man just enough time to look up before it collided with him. The smell of cooking flesh filled the air as the voltage surged through him, shaking him like a doll: Sara couldn't hear her own scream above his. It seemed like an eternity before the lightning finally stopped, and the man crumpled face-first and lifeless to the ground. Sara tore her eyes away from the grisly sight as a massive shape descended from the sky.

It was horrible: a slimy-looking star-shaped body, which surged with blue-white electricity. A huge, pale, humanoid face, crowned by spikes of hair and sporting a wicked-looking scar over its eye. Its good eye was fixed on the human and the angel, and its mouth turned up in a twisted sneer.

The angel stepped away from Sara, raising his spear. The demon let fly with a blast of electricity. The angel was blown backwards and slammed into a nearby car, crumpling to the ground as the alarm blared. A second bolt of lightning caused the car to erupt in a fiery explosion, taking the angel with it.

"_Child's play_." The demon thundered, turning his one-eyed gaze to Sara. _"And YOU, human: I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, shall feast upon your flesh! You shall be my nourishment as I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, take this world as my kingdom!"_

Sara threw herself into a retreat, back pedaling furiously away from the demon, not taking her terrified gaze off of him.

Suddenly, she felt her foot catch on something. She worked her arms furiously, trying desperately to stay upright, but to no avail: with a grunt, she felt herself hit the ground hard, twin bolts of pain shooting up her arms as her elbows hit first. Kaiwan laughed cruelly.

"_Haha! There are few things that go so well together as dinner and comedy! Encore, encore! By all means, continue!"_

Sara couldn't speak: fear had constricted her throat. Her entire body was trembling so badly she couldn't move, not even to grab her cell phone. Kaiwan's mouth turned up in a bloodthirsty grin as lightning began to crackle around his body. Sara squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the attack. But then...

"AGI!"

Kaiwan looked up with a grunt of confusion, seconds before a fireball exploded against his face. He had barely managed to shake off the smoke when three more struck him in rapid succession. Sara peeked an eye open, her brain slowly registering the fact she was still alive as a barrage of fireballs, lightning bolts, shards of ice and balls of air slammed into Kaiwan, forcing him backwards. Turning around, Sara stared in amazement at the group of girls standing at the other end of the parking lot, as the demons standing before them vanished in flashes of light and returned to their cell phones..

"Sara-san, RUN!"

_Mai-sama? Reo-sama, too...and Yuuna-sama and Nanami-chan!_ _What are they doing here?! And why do THEY have demons too?!_

At length, Sara realized it didn't matter. The barrage of attacks had completely overwhelmed Kaiwan, covering him in a thick cloud of smoke. This was her chance, she had to get out of here! She had just started to get to her feet when a deep, booming voice spoke.

"_Yes, that's it! Run! Flee, human! A chase could be just what I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, needs to get my appetite up! After all, I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, seem to have quite a large meal ahead of me!"_

Sara stumbled to a halt as Mai and the others backed away in fear. Sara knew exactly what they were looking at: in her mind's eye, she could see Kaiwan, utterly unscathed by the attacks, grinning from ear to ear, his eye glittering with malice.

"S-sara-san! C'mon, what are you waiting for?!" Nanami shrieked. "We have to run!"

"_That's right, human!" _Kaiwan's voice was dripping with dark mirth. _"Run away! Make me work for my meal! Entertain me! I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, will give you a head-start if that's what you so desire!"_

But Sara didn't move. Mai could only stare in shock as the brunette stood ramrod straight, hands balled into trembling fists. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her mouth was moving quickly, muttering something under her breath, too quiet for Mai to hear. Thankfully, Kaiwan seemed too interested in this turn of events to simply blast her in the back with electricity. Finally, Sara took a huge breath, set her face in a determined glare, and spun to face Kaiwan.

"You're...you're not going to eat me!"

Kaiwan's grin flickered. _"Excuse me?_"

Mai blanched. "Sara-san?!"

"T-there's only ONE person in the world who can eat me. And...and I'll tell you right now, it's not you!" Sara spat, her voice cracking.

Kaiwan blinked. He looked completely flabbergasted. Then he threw his head (or perhaps his entire body) back and let out a booming, raucous laugh.

"_So this is how you hide your fear, human? Through sheer arrogance? How pathetic! How utterly droll! Too bad...I can smell the terror on you!"_

Sara tapped the screen of her cell phone a few times. "I'm not afraid..." She muttered. "I'm not afraid of you!" She raised the cell phone high over her head as the screen began to glow. "Activating Demon Summoning Program! Jack Frost!"

In twin flashes of light, a demon appeared: a small white snowman. A blue jester's cap was perched on its giant head, and a matching blue collar was around its nonexistent neck. The creature wore a pair of boots of the same blue color. Spinning in place as gracefully as its pudgy body would allow, the demon raised its hand, and its face split into a fanged grin as it let out a resounding shout.

"_Hee-HO!"_

The smile on Kaiwan's face was truly bloodthirsty now, stretching ear-to-ear and showing off every one of his rotten teeth as he surveyed his new foe. _"Oh, this is just adorable! You think that INSECT can harm Kaiwan the Magnificent? Such arrogance!" _

Sara simply glared, gripped her cell phone tightly and gritting her teeth. In her own way, she seemed to be psyching herself up. Her hands were still quivering slightly, but the fear in her eyes had been replaced with focused determination.

"Sara-san, what are you doing?" Mai shouted. "You can't beat him! You have to run!"

Sara didn't even turn to look at her, simply shaking her head. "No...no, I can't! I can't run away, not now! If I do, everything I've done will have been for nothing!"

Mai shook her head in disbelief, then let an exasperated groan, pulling out her phone. "Everyone, get ready!" She shouted, Waira and Jambavan, erupting from the screen. The greenish bearlike demon stood on its hind legs, and was adorned with jeweled armor, clutching a mace in its paws. "Kaiwan's tough, but I know we can beat him! We have to protect Sara-san!"

"G-got it!" Reo shouted, her voice cracking as she summoned Pixie and Tlaloc. Yuuna summoned Heqet and Ogun in twin flashes of light, then turned to Nanami, who brought out Kobold and Moh Shvuu. Her expression was that of barely-concealed fear. Yuuna reached out, slipping her hand into Nanami's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. For a second, this almost seemed to have the opposite of the intended effect: Nanami gave a sharp, hissing intake of breath at the touch, her entire body stiffening as she turned her head awkwardly in Yuuna's direction. The blonde smiled confidently.

"We'll be fine, Nanami-chan. We're going to win!"

"Y-yeah...yeah!"

"_Pitiful! Absolutely pitiful!" _Kaiwan sneered. The star-shaped demon surveyed his opponents, his expression a mask of utter contempt. _"So cowardly and weak that you face me ten-on-one?! I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, am nothing short of INSULTED! Come, let the strongest among you step forward! Face me like a true warrior! Fear not..._" His mouth turned up in a cruel smile. _"I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, will make sure to keep the lesser ones among you thoroughly occupied..."_

Taking a huge breath, Kaiwan let out a bone-chilling screech. The sound echoed off the buildings, rattling the windows of the library and seeming to come from everywhere at once.

It took Mai a second to realize that it _was_. The sounds of demonic roaring came from all around them, the cries of servants answering their master.

Shapes were starting to appear on the rooftops, leaping down and landing around them hard enough to crack the pavement. Demons, at least sixteen at a quick count. Familiar species: Kobolds, Wairas, a few Itsumade, all taking positions near their master and surrounding the girls. Then three new demons jumped down, the force of their landing cracking the pavement.

These demons were towering, green mountains of muscle, with heads of wild black hair and ugly, fanged humanoid faces. They wore yellow, skintight sleeveless outfits adorned with skulls, and they each had cleavers clutched in their massive hands. Even without running an analysis, Mai could only describe the creatures as Ogres.

"_Tear them apart!_" Kaiwan boomed, and the demons responded with empathic roars of their own. Mai turned to Reo: the poor blonde looked ready to pass out from fear.

"It'll be alright, Reo! We're gonna get through this! You and Nanami-san keep those demons off our backs! We'll take care of Kaiwan!"

"Got it! Nanami Oda, get over here, now!" Reo barked.

"Huh? O-okay!" Nanami and her demons dashed over to Reo, the two of them staring down the multitude of demons closing in on them all. Mai gave them one last look and a quick, silent prayer, and then turned her gaze back to Kaiwan.

His grin was truly deranged now. The demon was practically foaming at the mouth as his single good eye surveyed the small legion of demons that stood against him. Angry-looking thunder clouds swirled above him from seemingly out of nowhere as he glowed with an aura of neon-blue energy. Then he opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs a single word.

"_MAZIO!_"

Sara had just enough time to shout an order to Jack Frost. Demons scattered as electricity erupted from all over Kaiwan's body, the voltage tearing up the ground as it surged in all directions.

"AAAH!" Yuuna gave a choked gasp as Ogun just barely dodged a bolt of lightning. "Such power! We can't even get close if he's slinging lightning bolts everywhere!"

"Whoa!" Mai let out a yelp as a bluish-white tendril of electricity snapped dangerously close to her. Her own demon, Jambavan, had aborted his attempt to rush in close to Kaiwan, the humanoid bear retreating back to Mai's side and out of range of Kaiwan's attack. Stumbling to the side, Mai raised her cell phone, leveling the camera on the madly-cackling demon as the screen filled with the analysis data. "Then we'll just keep our distance and use magic! Let's see...ice! His weakness is ice!"

"That's my cue, then!" Yuuna pointed her finger dramatically. "Heqet, Bufu!"

The frog dodged a lashing bolt of electricity, inhaling deeply and breathing a jet of icy air. Kaiwan saw it at the last second and swooped backwards out of the way, snarling at the frog-like demon and charging up a lightning bolt.

"Tch...he's fast!" Yuuna snapped as Heqet narrowly hopped out of the way of Kaiwan's attack.

"Wait a minute...he _dodged_, Yuuna-sama!" Nanami yelled, looking over her shoulder as her Kobold knocked one of the wild Kobolds off its feet and into a group of his comrades. "If he doesn't just take ice attacks dead on like everything else, that means he knows they could do damage! If we can land some attacks on him, we just might have a chance...ah, good shot, Reo-sama!" She cheered as Reo's Tlaloc blasted one of the Waira with an Agi.

Sara turned to Jack Frost, the fear on her face giving way to newfound confidence. "Hey, she's right! We can do this, Jack! Ice Dance!"

Jack Frost leapt forward with a cry of "Hee ho!", surprisingly agile for his paunchy build. Kaiwan turned his attention from Heqet as Jack threw himself into a strange, spinning dance. Kicking out with his feet and swinging his stubby arms wildly, the snowman sent blades of ice hurtling towards Kaiwan. The star-shaped demon dodged the attacks with ease, launching a blast of electricity at Jack Frost. Jack managed to jump back just in time as the Ziodyne punched a huge hole in the concrete.

"So we've got attacks that can hurt him..." Mai muttered as Kaiwan turned his attention to Heqet and fired a bolt of lightning at it, stymying its attempt to Bufu it from behind. "Now it's just a matter of _hitting _him. He's too fast...if we can't find some way to slow him down..."

"On it! I think I have what we need!" Yuuna gestured dramatically. "Activate Race Skill: Bind! Reel him in, Ogun!"

Ogun obeyed, lashing out with chains that erupted from its sleeves and flew towards Kaiwan. The heavy metal wrapped themselves tightly around the star-shaped demon, Ogun bracing itself against the ground as Kaiwan struggled to free himself, snarling with rage. But then he stopped, the anger fading from his face to be replaced by a horrible smile.

Yuuna's stomach lurched as the mistake she had made sunk in. "Wait...oh no! Ogun, let go of-!"

"_ZIODYNE!_"

Ogun's entire body seized up as electricity surged down the chain, lighting the demon up with bright blue energy. Mai and Sara watched in horror as Kaiwan let out a cackle, relenting after what seemed like an eternity and allowing Ogun to collapse, smoking, to the ground. The demon twitched, struggled to stand, and then thudded to the ground with a grim finality, dissolving a second later into black smoke.

"No!" Yuuna screamed. "OGUN!"

"_FOOLS!" _Kaiwan laughed. _"You honestly think that I, Kaiwan the Magnificent, could possibly be defeated by such paltry tactics? How childish! You humans truly are imbeciles!" _He turned his gaze to Yuuna, grinning at the sight of her horrified expression. _"Fear not, human...you shall join that insect of a demon in death soon enough! ALL of you will! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

"Yuuna-san? Yuuna-san, stay focused!" Mai shouted. "We...we can still win this!"

"Y-yes! Summoning demon: Bilwis!" Yuuna shook herself and raised her cell phone said. A flash of light erupted from her phone, landing next to Heqet and congealing into a demon. Standing about three feet in height, it was bright blue in color, with a long, horned, pill-shaped head. It wore nothing but a basket of wheat on its back, and a pair of scythes chained to its legs. Clenched in its hands was a nasty-looking pitchfork. Kaiwan regarded this new foe with an almost lazy gaze.

"_The parade of weaklings never ends, does it?" _He muttered. _"It doesn't matter HOW many weakling demons you summon, human." _Electricity began to course once more around his body._ "The lightning of Kaiwan the Magnificent will reduce every last one of them to dust, just as easily as that ant with the spear!"_

Mai found herself backing away, her eyes flicking around, taking in her surroundings as Kaiwan cackled. Nanami and Reo were holding their own against Kaiwan's minions, but it was obvious by their demons' postures that they were becoming fatigued.

'_He's too fast to hit, and trying to hold him still is suicide.' _Mai's brain was racing._ 'Come on, Mai, THINK! There's GOT to be a way out of this!'_

"Mai-sama, watch out!"

Mai whirled around just in time for a rancid smell to hit her dead in the nose, and found herself staring at an Ogre's massive abs. She let out a shriek, stumbling backwards as the Ogre raised his cleaver with a roar...

"Moh Shvuu!" Nanami shouted. The Ogre turned around, grunting stupidly before a Bufu smashed into its gut. It staggered backwards, brushing the ice off its stomach and glaring at Moh Shvuu. The girlish demon fired two more Bufus: one struck Ogre in the chest, a second one hit it in the face, freezing it solid. "Mai-sama, are you alright?" Nanami raced over to her shaken upperclassman as Moh Shvuu smashed the Ogre with a punch.

It took a second for Mai to process what had just happened. But after a couple of deep breaths, she managed to gain enough presence of mind to give Nanami a nod. Nanami gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh...good! I'm sorry, I didn't notice that Ogre sneaking up on you until it was right on top of you..."

The only warning Kaiwan's Ziodyne gave was a bright flash of light. Yuuna let out a scream of torment as the demon let fly with a massive lightning bolt that crackled through the air directly for Nanami. The pink-haired girl looked up with a gasp, eyes going wide as every muscle in her body locked up in surprise...

Moh Shvuu dove forward, planting herself in front of Nanami and throwing out her arms. The lightning hit her dead on as Nanami stumbled back, shielding her eyes from the glare. Mai cringed, expecting Moh Shvuu to vanish like Ogun did at any second.

Then she remembered something. Kaiwan seemed to realize it too, and his brow furrowed in annoyance as he cut off the attack.

"_Damn you!_"

The electricity was simply vanishing as it struck Moh Shvuu, harmlessly absorbed into the female demon's body. Within seconds, a few stray sparks were all that was left of the attack, and they too quickly vanished. Nanami allowed herself to peer around Moh Shvuu at Kaiwan, as Moh Shvuu raised the back of her hand to her mouth and burped up a small cloud of smoke.

"R-right!" Nanami gave a small, nervous giggle. "Electricity doesn't work on her...!"

It was like a light bulb had gone off in Mai's head.

"Absorb Electric...that's it! I know what to do!" She muttered. "Reo!" She yelled.

"I'm kind of busy, Mai!" Reo shrieked as Pixie swooped around an Ogre's cleaver and fired a Zio point blank into its face.

"I know! I need Nanami-san's help! Just hold those demons off for a little longer!"

"By MYSELF?!" Reo's voice cracked in horror as Tlaloc was smacked out of the air by a Kobold.

"I trust you, Reo! I know you can beat them! I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you could! But I need Nanami-san's help for this, or we're all done for! Just hang on! Actually, come to think of it...Waira, back her up!"

Reo seemed a little happier as the snake slithered up to her demons, joining their ranks. Crossing its talons, it blasted an Ogre off its feet with a Zan.

"Alright, Nanami-san, listen..." Mai turned to Nanami, glancing up to make sure Sara and Yuuna had Kaiwan occupied. "I have an idea, but timing is going to be everything. If it works, it'll give us a few seconds to hit him. We can't waste that chance. You game?" Satisfied by Nanami's nod, Mai leaned in close.

"Alright, here's how it's gonna work..."

Sara shot a nervous glance over to the two girls muttering to each other as Jack Frost ducked under a Ziodyne, the electricity singing the ends of its jester's cap. "What are they...do they have some kind of plan?"

"I hope so..." Yuuna muttered as Heqet launched a Bufu, Kaiwan whirling out of the way. His electric counterattack exploded mere inches from Heqet as the frog narrowly dodged it. "We're running low on options..."

"CHAAAAARGE!"

Mai's yell got everyone's attention, human and demon alike, as she ordered Jambavan forward with a dramatic flourish. Kaiwan watched with a bemused expression at the charging, roaring bear, then fired up a massive Ziodyne.

This was just what Nanami was waiting for.

"Moh Shvuu!" She shouted, the girlish demon obediently flying forward, coming to a stop mere inches from Kaiwan as he let fly with the electricity, her body completely blocking his attack, and his view. Holding out a hand, Moh Shvuu charged up a Bufu.

"_Nice try!" _Kaiwan brought back one of his starfish-like arms, swinging it violently but clumsily at Moh Shvuu, who swooped out of the way just in time to avoid it.

Unfortunately for Kaiwan, these few seconds of distraction were all that were needed for him to completely forget about Jambavan, and all that Jambavan needed to completely close the distance between itself and its quarry. Kaiwan could do nothing as Jambavan fired a Bufu into his face at point blank range.

"_AAAAAAAAAARGH!" _Kaiwan flew backwards as ice crystals crept over his body, Jambavan launching a few more Bufus for good measure. Snarling, Kaiwan flexed his arms, trying to shake off the creeping ice.

"Now's our chance!" Mai screamed. "Hit him now!"

She didn't have to tell Yuuna, Nanami and Sara twice.

"Heqet, Bufu!"

"Moh Shvuu, Bufu!"

"Jack Frost, Ice Dance!"

Kaiwan howled in rage and pain as the attacks bombarded him from all sides, ice racing over his body, creaking as he tried to break free of its freezing grasp. _"D-d-damn...y-you...hu...mans!"_

"Keep it up!" Mai shouted, bracing herself to run in case the furious demon managed to break free. "We've almost got him!"

"_Y-you c-c-cannot...defeat...Kaiwan...the Ma-!" _Kaiwan's voice was silenced as the ice covered his mouth. A few seconds later, the demon was trapped in a huge block of ice. It hovered quivering in the air for a moment, then fell to the ground with a crash. Kaiwan was frozen right in the center, his face frozen in a furious scream. Sara leaned forward carefully.

"Is it over...did we...?"

_*CRACK!*_

Sara let out a shriek, jumping back at the sudden noise. A massive fissure had split its way along the surface of the ice block. A second fissure appeared, and then a third, snaking their way along the ice as the whole block began to quiver violently.

"Heqet, Bufu!"

The frog obeyed Yuuna's command, breathing a fresh coat of ice across the block, sealing up the fissures and leaving it as pristine as ever. Almost instantly, there was another loud _*CRACK* _as the ice began to quiver again, fissures re-appearing on the surface.

"It's no use!" Sara yelled. "He's gonna break out!"

"No..." Yuuna's eyes narrowed as Heqet re-sealed the ice again. "He's _not_. Activate Race Skill: Aggravate!"

Nanami watched as Yuuna's Bilwis raised its pitchfork, its blue body glowing bright red, then nodded. "Kobold..." she commanded. "Aggravate!"

Mai looked to have gotten the message as well, Jambavan raising his mace and starting forward. The three demons converged on Kaiwan's frozen prison, raising their weapons and bringing them down upon it with every ounce of their strength.

There was a terrible shattering noise as the ice block was smashed apart, crumbling into pieces of ice and demon. A second later, there was a huge explosion: Bilwis, Jambavan and Kobold were thrown backwards as a massive pillar of black, evil-looking energy erupted from the ground, stretching toward the sky. Moments later, the pillar dissolved into nothingness. Nothing remained but a few trailing wisps of black smoke. Kaiwan was nowhere to be seen.

"_L-lord Kaiwan...!" _One of the Kobolds was the first to speak, its voice tight with fear as it and its comrades backed away from the five human girls. _"No...no, enough! We can't beat you! We surrender! Just...just leave us be!"_

Reo watched as the demons turned tail and fled, raising her fist and shaking it over her head. "Yeah! You'd better run, you stupid demons!" She shouted as Pixie and Tlaloc returned to her phone.

Mai let out a sigh of relief as she collapsed against a nearby car, mercifully not setting off the alarm. "Heh...we... we beat him...I can't believe we won...is...is everyone alright?" She called as Waira and Jambavan vanished.

"I'm fine..." Reo snapped as she stormed back to the group. "No thanks to YOU! You've got real nerve dragging my backup away and leaving me to fight an entire army of demons by myself! What kind of girlfriend are you, Mai?!"

"I promise, I wouldn't have done it if I thought for a moment you couldn't handle it..." Mai met Reo's eyes, smiling. "You did great, Reo. I'm really proud."

Reo blinked, surprised at the realization that the complement dulled her anger a bit. "Really? Oh...er...thanks. Yeah, yeah...I guess I did do pretty good..." Then she caught herself, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. "But don't think this means I'm okay with what you did!"

'_Good enough...I guess.'_ thought Mai. "Nanami?" she called. "You alright?"

"Yeah!" Nanami was beaming as Moh Shvuu and Kobold returned to her phone. "You were great, Mai-sama! That was an awesome idea!"

Mai nodded, too tired to do much else. "Yuuna-san? You okay? I'm sorry about..."

"Ogun?" Yuuna shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I saw a whole bunch of them on the Auction, and I have more than enough Macca to buy another one."

"Um...if you say so...Sara-san?" Mai turned to Sara. "Are you...?"

"YES!"

Mai watched in amazement as Sara pumped both fists in the air, quite literally jumping for joy.

"Yes! Yes! YES!" She chanted, bouncing around like a child on a sugar rush. "HAHA! We beat him! We beat him! In your FACE, Kaiwan! Who's 'Magnificent' NOW? WOOHOO! We are SO awesome!"

"Um..." Mai blinked. "Well...I'm glad you're okay, Sara-san..." She stammered, not quite sure how to react to the brunette's sheer energy.

"It's thanks to all of you!" Sara was smiling from ear to ear. "Man, if you girls hadn't shown up, I'd have been a goner! I can't believe you're all Demon Tamers, too! I thought I was the only one! And your demons are so STRONG!"

"Yes, yes..." Mai waved a hand, trying to signal Sara that she wanted to talk. Luckily the brunette got the message, stammering to a stop. "Sara-san...what are you doing out here?" said Mai. "It was safe in the park, why'd you leave?"

Mai wasn't quite sure how Sara would respond. Maybe she was expecting Sara to mention a family member or a friend on the Mortician's List that Mai was unaware of, or even a pet that could have been in danger. In any case, Mai was in no way prepared for Sara's answer.

"Training!" Sara said brightly, grinning from ear to ear.

The silence that followed was deafening. Nanami blinked. Yuuna raised her eyebrows in amazement. Reo's jaw fell open. Mai pushed herself up off the car, slowly walking over to Sara. For a few seconds, she said nothing. She merely looked at the brunette with her mouth partway open, as if she wanted to say something, but there was a block between her brain and her tongue. Finally, she cocked her head, paused, and spoke.

"_Excuse_ me?"

Sara's smile didn't vanish, but merely wavered a bit. "Training." She repeated.

In one swift motion, Mai brought her hand back and swiped it across Sara's face with a sharp smacking noise. Nanami and Reo gasped as one as Sara stumbled a bit, trying to keep her balance as she stared at Mai in amazement.

"Mai-san!" Yuuna gasped. Her tone was not unlike that of a mother scolding a child for saying a naughty word. Mai couldn't have cared less, though. She could barely hear Yuuna over the heartbeat thundering in her ears.

"How..._dare_ you!" It was a herculean effort for Mai to get the words out clearly, her voice was shaking so bad. "How DARE you pull a stunt like this! Kaede-san risked her _life_ to save you, and you go looking for trouble the very next day?! THIS is how you thank her?!"

"Mai-sama-!" Sara began, holding her throbbing cheek.

"You could have been killed!" Mai shouted, drowning out Sara's protests. "Do you have any idea how this single decision affected the people around you? You put _yourself_ in danger, you put _us_ in danger...you got that Flock member KILLED!" She wheeled around, pointing a finger at the charred, hooded corpse on the ground. "All because you decided to go out and play superhero!"

"Mai-san..." Yuuna said softly.

"I-I didn't-!" Sara babbled, her voice breaking.

"This is not a game!" Mai paid neither of them any heed. She was practically nose-to-nose with Sara, the brunette staring up at her with terrified, tear-filled eyes. "The Summoning Program is not a toy! And if you ever, EVER put yourself needlessly in danger like this again, I will personally BREAK YOUR CELL PHONE! UNDERSTAND?!"

"Mai-san!"

Yuuna didn't shout, exactly. But something about her tone stopped Mai's tirade dead. Mai took a step back, her gaze flicking first to Yuuna, Reo and Nanami, then back to Sara. Reo and Nanami wore expressions of amazement, and Yuuna, an expression of stern disapproval. Sara was standing ramrod stiff, trembling from head to toe and fighting to keep back sobs as tears flowed unimpeded down her face. A sick swoop of guilt hit Mai right in the gut. Taking a step forward, she wrapped her arms around Sara. Something in the girl seemed to snap: she threw her arms around Mai, bawling like a child.

"I'm sorry!" Sara wailed. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean for...for any of this to happen! I...I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, I swear!"

"I...I'm sorry too..." Mai said hoarsely, fighting back tears of her own and tightening her grip. "I shouldn't have snapped like that..."

The two of them stayed like that for a while, Sara sobbing into Mai's shoulder as Mai tried to get her temper back under control. She felt horrible; it had been quite a while since she had lost herself like that. It was never a good feeling, and the fact it had made someone cry just made the whole thing that much worse. Still, Sara-san seemed to be starting to calm down. Her wailing sobs had wound down to a few whimpers and sniffles, and her breathing wasn't as shallow and rapid as before. Finally, Sara let go, looking at Mai and trying (only slightly successfully) to smile.

"I'm sorry, Mai-sama. I know I screwed up. I put you all at risk for me, when there was no reason to...but still, you didn't have to slap me! That was going too far!" She said, wiping her eyes and giggling slightly. Mai's cheeks tinged red with embarrassment.

"Yeah...that was...kind of uncalled for on my part. Sorry I lost it like that, Sara-san..." She muttered, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Let's get back to the park. The less time we spend out here, the better."

"What about him?" Nanami indicated the dead Flock member lying on the ground. "We can't just, you know, leave him here to rot, can we?"

"We'll tell the Flock when we get back to the park." said Mai. "We'll let them know where he is, and they can give him a pro-"

Reo looked at Mai, surprised at the way her girlfriend suddenly cut her sentence off. "What is it?" Mai took a few steps towards the corpse on the ground, her eyes narrowing.

"There's something under his sleeve. What's that on his wrist?"

"Ugh, eww!" Reo shrieked as Mai reached out for the body's sleeve. "That's a dead guy, don't touch him!"

Mai said nothing as she hooked a finger carefully around the corpse's left sleeve, easing it back to reveal what lay underneath.

'A watch?' was Nanami's first thought, as metal glinted in the sunlight. No, it wasn't a watch. The digital screen adorning it was the length and width of her hand, WAY too big to be a watch. A weird MP3 player? Kind of a strange thing to be lugging around everywhere at a time like this. It looked like something out of some science fiction manga, a robust, futuristic armband with a pair of thick leather straps and a huge screen.

"What...is that? Why's he hiding something like that under his sleeve?" Nanami said. Mai shook her head.

"I have no _idea_ what that is..."

"It looks almost brand-new..." Sara walked forward, kneeling down next to Mai and staring intently at the strange machine. "And this guy got hit dead on by Kaiwan's lightning. You'd think the screen would, I dunno, warp or something, but it doesn't look damaged at all. I wonder if it still works..."

"W-well, whatever it is, it's not our business!" Reo turned to leave. "C'mon, we need to get to the park! We're sitting ducks out here!"

*Click...Click!*

The sound of fasteners caused Reo to turn around. Mai and Sara had straightened up, the strange device in Mai's hands.

"Eww, eww, EWW!" Reo groaned. "Maiiiiii! Did you just take that off his _corpse_!?"

"Wait, we're not taking that WITH us, are we?" Yuuna said, surprise in her voice as Mai managed to fit the machine into her shirt pocket, stuffing it down safely out of sight.

"Yeah," Mai nodded. "I've never seen something like this before, the Flock member had it well hidden under his sleeve, AND it survived a direct hit from Kaiwan. If this thing still works, it's not an ordinary machine. I think it's worth at least looking into. And what if it IS something important?" Mai said quickly; Reo's face had begun to take on the hue of a ripe cherry. "We don't know what it _is_, we don't know what it _does_. Do we really want some strange, machine falling into the hands of demons or something?"

"...Good point..." Reo muttered.

"I promise, Reo, nothing has to come of this. We'll just sneak a peek, and hand it back to the Flock when we're done. Does that sound good? It's better than some demon getting its hands on it, right?"

Reo relaxed. "I...I guess..."

"Awesome. C'mon, let's get moving." Mai looked around nervously. "The less time we spend out here, the better."

* * *

In all honesty, Mai was hoping that investigation of the strange machine would lead to nothing. Between the harrowing experience of the fight against Kaiwan (her life literally flashed in front of her as that Ogre was bearing down on her) and the rather embarrassing way she had blown her top against Sara, Mai could safely say that she had had quite her fill of adventure for the day. There hadn't been any demons on pretty much their entire trek back to the park; she could only assume this was due to the blow Kaiwan's death had dealt to their chain of command. All the better, Mai thought. Maybe they could make it back without running into any trouble.

But then three men stepped out in front of them, blocking their way. The group came to a halt, huddling together as they and the men sized each other up.

'Thugs' was the word that came readily to mind. Everything about these men screamed 'bad news', from the stocky bald one's white suit and the cigar clenched in his teeth, to the high-swept, slicked back blonde hair and sunglasses of one of his lanky cohorts. Mai didn't like the hungry sneers on their faces either. '_Yakuza...' _She realized with a jolt. '_These guys are Yakuza_...' Still, she swallowed and stepped forward.

"Can we help you?"

"Yeah...yeah, you can." The bald one seemed to be the leader, regarding Mai with a steady glare. "Just put your cellphones on the ground, kids. Nice and easy."

Nanami's stomach lurched. "C-cellphones? Why do you want our cell phones?"

"Don't play dumb, kid!" The blond man snapped, stepping forward aggressively. "We know you're Tamers, why else would you be wandering around out here!"

Mai gasped in spite of herself. Baldy smirked at this moment of weakness. "Yeah, kid. You'd better give us those cell phones. We've seen what demons can do to people, and it's not pretty. You should hand 'em over before you wind up getting hurt."

"Mai-san..." Yuuna's voice was barely a whisper, and Mai had to strain to catch it. "These guys are serious. Any suggestions?"

"There's only three of them..." Mai hissed back, trying to move her lips as little as possible. "If push comes to shove, I think we can fight our way through."

"Seven."

Mai felt a chill down her spine. "Huh?"

"_There are four more behind us_."

The trio of men in front were stalking towards them now, reaching into their pockets as they did so. From behind them, Mai could hear the now-familiar sounds of demons being summoned, followed by low, threatening, animalistic growls. "Last chance, kids." Baldy was saying, casually opening his phone as he did so. "Hand over the cells, and you won't get hurt."

"Well..." Yuuna mused, eyeing an approaching Waira. "This could be a problem. Outnumbered, completely surrounded, and it looks like they're not willing to let us go without getting what they want." And with that, she pulled out her phone.

"Eeh? What?" Nanami stared in shock as Mai, Reo and Sara whipped out their cell phones too. "Wait a minute, Onee-sa...Yuuna-sama! Demons are one thing, but I don't think I'm ready to fight other human beings!"

"I don't think we have a choice, Nanami-san..." Mai took a step back as Baldy summoned a pair of demons: a ferocious red dog with a spiked metal collar and a reptilian-looking tail, and a weird, floating fish with the head of a deer. "Get ready, everyone, here they come...!"

"HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

The Tamers froze, Baldy whipping around to the source of the voice. His eyes bulged in horror. "Oh, _crap..._"

The tamers drew back as four crimson-armored angels came crashing down from the sky, two in front and two in back, raising their shields and pointing their spears at them.

"Dammit, the Flock!" Baldy shouted as he and his comrades recalled his demons. "SCATTER!"

Baldy and his friends didn't get far. They had hardly taken two steps before the angels shot forward, bringing their shields back and battering the tamers to the ground one after the other. One managed to duck under a shield swung heavily at his head and scramble away, only to take a Flock member's baton right to the side of the head. The thug crumpled to the ground as the Flock member and three of his friends made their way over. Instinctively, Mai and her friends stuffed their phones back in their pocket. There was a small bit of relief as the Flock walked right past them: they seemed to occupied with the fallen Tamers to have noticed. One of them approached Baldy, shaking his head.

"For shame," He said softly. "seduced by the power of darkness and driven to wield them against innocent lives. Unfortunately, you'll find the power of God is not so easily overcome as unarmed children."

Baldy pushed himself over, rubbing the sore lump on his head. "Aah...power of God, huh?" He shrugged slightly. "Whatever you say, buddy. I'll tell you right now...the power of God's not gonna be much help against what _we've_ got planned."

The angels thrust their spears forward aggressively as the Flock muttered among themselves. "Explain." The lead Flock member demanded. "Why so confident? Your spree's over."

"Yeah..." Baldy was smirking outwardly now. "You just keep on telling yourself that...altar boy."

A slight stiffening of his spine was the only outward sign of any anger the Flock member felt. He turned to his colleagues, gesturing them forward and snapping something Mai couldn't understand.

Mai and her friends watched as the Flock members hauled the Tamers to their feet, slapping handcuffs on them and yanking the cell phones from their hands and pockets, tossing them on the ground and crushing them underfoot. One of them turned to Mai and the others, pulling out a phone and speaking into it, then holding it out to them. The translation came a second later:

"Are you alright?"

Mai nodded. The man spoke again into the phone. "It was foolish of you all to come out here. Demons, Tamers...this whole town's gone to hell. It's dangerous." The translation said.

"We need to get back to the park." The Japanese-speaking Flock member straightened up after slapping the last of the Tamers with a pair of handcuffs, turning to Mai and the others. "Follow us and stick close."

* * *

It took about ten minutes for the group to make their way back to the park. Two Flock members led the way, followed closely by the captured Demon Tamers. They in turn were followed by the other two Flock members with batons in hand. Mai, Reo, Nanami, Yuuna and Sara took up the rear. On their journey, Mai noticed, with jolts of horror, a few more groups of thuggish-looking Demon Tamers. They weren't doing much, just standing around, really. They kept their distance, obviously unwilling to pick a fight with the Flock. But their hungry gazes burned holes into the group from all sides. As the trees of the park came into view, and the low roar of the chatter of the people inside reached them, she started to relax. But something was off. There was tension in the air.

As soon as he saw his comrades, one of the three Flock members rushed forward, babbling something. One of the Flock Members at the front of the pack approached him, speaking in a low tone, and waving his hand in a clear message to his friend keep his voice down.. Mai couldn't understand a word they were saying, but the hushed, nervous edge to the guard's voice, and the stunned nervousness in their escort's voice did nothing to assuage her fears.

It was evident that something horrible had happened.

At last, their escort gave a deep, heaving sigh, turning around slowly to face his prisoners. "I see...I suppose this is what you were talking about, hm?" He said calmly. Baldy didn't answer, but Mai could practically see the huge smile on his face.

The Flock member paused for a second, then lunged forward, extending his baton.

The Tamers (and the other members of the Flock, for that matter) drew back as the heavy weapon struck Baldy across the skull. The Tamer staggered for a second before the Flock member's hand shot forward, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back as he pulled his arm back again. A second blow to the head sent him to the ground with a yelp of pain. The Flock members stared at their comrade in shock as he glared down at the motionless Tamer.

"You...will...pay for this." His voice was practically a whisper. "As God is my witness, we will make you _pay_ for what you've done." His gaze snapped up to the other tamers. "_All_ of you."

The Tamers simply leered at him as two Flock members shoved them forward, shunting the group into the park and out of sight. The lead Flock member watched them vanish into the crowd, then reached up and lowered his hood.

He couldn't have been more than thirty-five, with short-buzzed black hair, small glasses and a soul patch. Bringing his hands up and closing his eyes, he wiped his brow, then rubbed his temples with his fingers in slow, methodical circles.

"What...?" Nanami had finally found her voice. "What happened?"

The man paused, lowering his hands and looking up at Nanami. He seemed to be at an utter loss for words. Finally, after a few tense seconds of silently working his mouth, he beckoned them forward.

"Get inside."

* * *

"No food...I can't believe there's no food..."

Sara had lost track of how many times Mai had repeated that sentence by this point. The news had come over megaphone: a group of Demon Tamers had snuck into the park, and though they had been apprehended, and nobody had been seriously hurt, the Tamers had managed to destroy most of the survivors' food supply. Attempts to obtain food from the supermarket had ended in spectacular failure: the Tamers had already taken it over, driving the Flock back. Some rations had been acquired by raiding small shops nearby, but with so many survivors, it was enough to last all of a couple of days.

From there, the announcer, 'Father Archibald Phillips', went into a loooong spiel about the dangers of demons. Wicked creatures, attracted weak of mind, twisted, corrupted, God is the only chance for salvation, lend us your prayers, for they would become the Angels' strength...none of the girls were really paying attention. Mai was lying on her back in the grass, arms crossed, staring blankly at the sky. Yuuna was comforting Nanami, who was quietly sobbing into her chest. Reo was hunched over her cell phone, the screen-light illuminating her face, which was set in a fierce expression. The silence was getting on Sara's nerves. So she decided to break it.

"So that's their game..." she muttered. "They're gonna try to starve us into compliance. I bet they're writing up a big ol' list of demands right now. And I bet that's why those Tamers were hunting for cellphones, too: building up an army to hold the supermarket." She gave a huge sigh, leaning back against the tree. "Oh man..."

Nobody said anything. Night had fallen by now. The park was eerily quiet, the survivors either all asleep by this point, or in shock at this new development. Barring a few stray murmurs here and there, the loudest noise any of them could hear was Nanami sniffling. Finally, Sara decided to break the silence again.

"So now what?"

Mai had to chuckle a bit. 'So now what'...that's a good question.' She thought. "I...I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Sara said incredulously. "C-come on, Mai-sama, you gotta have something! I mean, we're not just gonna sit here and let them starve us, are we! I mean, come on, you guys...!" She had raised her voice a bit, scooting into a position to better glare at them all. "We can't just give up! We're _Demon Tamers_!"

"We're _high-schoolers._" Mai said coldly, sitting up. "A rag-tag group of kids who managed to get this far through sheer luck. The Flock are professional demon hunters, they've been at this since the middle ages, and the Yakuza drove them back. I hate to say it, Sara-san, but I think we're out of our depth with this one."

But Sara wasn't about to give up.

"That never stopped you before! Kaiwan killed a member of the Flock! Yeah, right in front of me! Just, BAM! Zapped him into charcoal!" She was practically shouting now. "Kaiwan was a super-demon, _but we still beat him_! We froze him solid and smashed him into little pieces!"

"HEY!" someone yelled. "Pipe down! We're trying to sleep!"

"Sorry!" Sara called sheepishly, then rounded on Mai again. "For god's sake, Mai-sama, this isn't you! This is stress, fear, and disappointment talking!" She snapped in a hoarse whisper. "Sure, the Flock was driven back, yeah, but that's not gonna be the _end_ of it! They're gonna try again tomorrow, and they're gonna keep on trying until we get our food! They're not gonna give up, and neither should we!"

Mai blinked in shock. Sara-san didn't seem the type to play the role of motivational speaker, really. And what she was proposing was nothing short of crazy.

And yet...only yesterday she had spoken to Reo. _"__Whether we like it or not, this is the situation we're in."_ She had told her girlfriend._ "Complaining and hiding our heads in the sand, and feeling sorry for ourselves...that's not gonna change anything. All we can do for now...is what we can."_

_Heh...I'm a regular hypocrite, aren't I? Throwing in the towel at the first setback..._

_*Vwiiiiiir...vwiiiiiir...vwiiiiir*_

Mai reached into her pocket, noticing Sara and Yuuna were doing the same, Nanami following suit a second later after realizing what was happening, wiping her eyes as she did so.

"All at the same time..." Mai muttered as she hit the power button on her vibrating phone. "It's probably..."

"GAAAH!" Reo snapped, making them all jump. "Stupid Cypher! Sending me a message...I had that demon won...!"

_To the user of the Demon Summoning Program,_

_In commemoration of your continuing success in the use of this program, you have unlocked a new feature that will undoubtedly aid tremendously in your endeavors: The Cathedral of Shadows._

_Although the Devil Auction is invaluable in adding new members to your army, the most powerful demons are created through 'Fusion': that is, to merge two of your demons into one new one. The possibilities through Fusion are limitless: by allowing the new demon to inherit abilities and techniques from its components, you will create a demonic soldier that you cannot get anywhere else, one that is utterly unique. You have my full confidence that you will be able to make good use of the Cathedral._

_Best of luck to you,_

_Cypher_

Mai gave the message one last look, smiling wryly. "Fusion, huh?" She mused, lying back down again and staring up at her phone, framed against the stars. "Yeah...I have a feeling we'll be needing this."

Sara gasped. "So, we're gonna...!"

"Hold on a second, Mai-san." Yuuna said seriously. "I mean, we'll be up against the _Yakuza_. And what's more, they're Demon Tamers like us. I have a nasty feeling they'll be stronger than the average wild demon. You think we can help the Flock beat them?"

"Maybe. Cypher seems to think so." Mai snapped her phone shut and slipped it back into her pocket, resting the back of her head on her hands after doing so. "And who knows: maybe 'Fusion' will be give us the edge we need!"

"Awesome..." Sara had clenched her fists, trembling with anticipation. "A group of plucky kids wielding demons against other Tamers, in a desperate fight to...er...uh..." She stammered to a halt as she caught the look on Mai's face. "...um...okay, look, what I did back there was really stupid. I know that, and I'm really sorry. But I had a good reason, I swear!"

"You told me you were _training_, Sara-san." Mai said coldly. "That's not a good reason, that's something a hero in a shonen manga would say."

"I had a good reason!" Sara said indignantly. "Look..." She leaned up against the tree again, trying to find the right words. "Ever since I can remember, whenever someone picked on me, or if I was ever sad or lonely, I could always depend on Kaede-chan. She protected me from the bullies, and cheered me up when I was sad and kept me company...she's my Prince.

"But when Jack Frost first came out of my phone, and she protected me from him, she got hurt. I mean, really badly hurt. And there was nothing I could do about it..." She suppressed a shudder. "Really punched it home, ya know...Kaede-chan's as human as I am. And sooner or later, I could end up with a problem that's too big for her to tackle on her own, especially at times like these. And she'll try to solve it all on her own for me, I just know it. If something happens to her on my behalf..." Her voice trailed off.

Mai nodded, the pieces starting to fall together. "I see...so that's why..."

"Uh huh. I wanted to get stronger." said Sara. "When I got the Demon Summoning Program, I realized I finally had a way to defend myself. So I went out there to learn how to use it. I figured that if I was stronger, Kaede-chan wouldn't spend so much time worrying about me. So...yeah." she shrugged. "That's why I did it."

Mai sighed, shaking her head. "Great." Noting Sara's confused expression, she gave a self-mocking smile. "Now I REALLY feel like a heel for yelling at you."

Sara giggled, then sighed, gazing up into the starry sky. "I want to get stronger..." she repeated. "So I don't have to stay back while Kaede-chan risks her safety for me ever again. I hate how that feels...I hate feeling helpless..." She looked over to Mai with pleading eyes. "So I was hoping..."

Mai looked over to Yuuna and Nanami. They nodded. Reo was too busy with...whatever she was doing with her cell phone to notice what was going on. Turning back to Sara, Mai held out a hand. The brunette reached out to take it, but stopped when Mai pulled it back, holding up a single finger.

"No unnecessary risks." She said sternly.

Sara nodded. "Of course!"

Satisfied, Mai held out her hand again. "Welcome aboard." Sara seized Mai's hand and shook it vigorously.

"Thank you, Mai-sama!" She said, just barely managing to keep her voice below a whisper. "I look forward to it!"

'_So we're really doing this.' _Mai thought, pulling her hand back as Sara released it, giving it a few shakes. Girl had a strong grip... _'Sara-san's on board...'_ She looked over to Yuuna and Nanami, who nodded. _'Nanami-san and Yuuna-san, too...so now it's just a matter of convincing..._'

"Unyunyunyunyunyunyunyuuuu~!"

Mai sat up. Reo was hunched over her phone, gritting her teeth and hammering the buttons with stunning ferocity.

"Reo-san, _what_ are you doing?" Yuuna shook her head in amazement.

"I'm...buying...demons!" Reo didn't even look up from her phone. "What did you THINK I was doing this whole time, Yuuna Matsubara?! If those jerks at the supermarket think they can take my food and get away with it...! They've crossed a line...! Gonna build an army and crush 'em...!"

"Okay, okay!" Mai scooted over to Reo, pulling the phone gently out of her hands. "I'm glad you're taking initiative, Reo, but we the last thing you need is you breaking your phone. Besides, it's late." She eased the blonde into the grass with a gentle hand. "We need to get some sleep: I think it's safe to say we've got a big day ahead of us."

"Ughh..." Reo sighed as she relaxed into the grass next to Mai. Sara stood up, stretching.

"What a day...I should head back to the other students." She said. "I've kept 'em waiting long enough."

"Where should we meet tomorrow?" Yuuna asked as Nanami yawned, letting her hair down and pocketing her ribbons. Sara thought for a moment.

"How about...the Medical Pavilion? I want to see if Kaede-chan's okay, and they should let me visit her tomorrow."

"All right. Good night, Sara-san." Yuuna lay down. Sara nodded, yawning loudly.

"Good night, everyone..." And with that, she staggered away, weaving around the people sleeping on the ground.

No sooner was she out of sight than Yuuna grinned broadly, turning a hunger-filled gaze to Nanami. The exhausted pink-haired girl let out a small squeak as Yuuna tackled her to the grass, squeezing her close with a tinkling giggle. Mai shook her head.

"G'night, Yuuna-san, Nanami-san." She called.

"Pleasant dreams, Mai-san."

"Good night, Mai-sama."

Mai turned back to Reo. She had to suppress a giggle: the blonde was already out like a light. Leaning forward, she kissed Reo softly on the lips. "Good night, Reo..." She whispered.

No answer. The girl was completely out cold. Mai snuggled up to her, burying her face in her hair as she wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

As soon as she did, she felt something dig painfully into her ribs.

"Ow! What the...?!"

Mai sat up quickly as she reached into her pocket and felt around. She paused as her fingers brushed against thick leather, and looked down in confusion.

'_Wait...what's this?'_

Closing her fingers around it, she pulled...something out of her pocket. She didn't immediately recognize the size or shape, and had to squint to get a better look at it in the darkness.

'_Oh yeah. Huh...I completely forgot about this.'_

Mai surveyed the strange device in her hands, turning it over and over. This was that...thing that she had gotten off of that Flock member's body, the bizarre wrist-mounted device that had been hidden under his sleeve. The size, the shape, the fact it had survived a direct hit from a demonic lightning bolt...Mai could safely say she had never seen anything like it before.

Mai cast a glance around at the other girls. Her little outburst hadn't roused them: Yuuna and Nanami were asleep, snuggled happily in each other's arms, and Reo was snoring quietly her back just beside her, blond hair splayed out in a puddle around her head.

Mai paused for a moment, turning her attention back to the strange machine. Large button near the top...a power button, she could assume. Should she wait until morning and show them all, or...

Shrugging, she hit the button.

'_PLEASE don't make a loud noise...' _She thought, watching the screen light up bright white, the image of a cross revolving lazily in the center. After a few seconds, the screen changed again.

Mai took one look at it, and her jaw dropped.

'_No way...'_


	4. Day 3: Teamwork

Day 3:

Teamwork

(A/N: Once again, big thanks to Blargel!)

* * *

'_Three days...I can't believe it's been three days...'_

Mai brought her hands up quickly, the water striking her face with a cold jolt and cutting through her exhaustion like a knife.

'_Three days of sleeping on the ground. Three days of fighting for my life. Three days ago, I would've laughed if someone told me this was gonna happen to me...to this town. This town was... normal three days ago...'_

Another splash of water, another cold jolt, a little less fog covering her brain.

'_There weren't any demons in this town three days ago...no hooded men protecting us from them...no Yakuza Demon Tamers trying to starve us...'_

Splash. Cold. Awake now, or at least as awake as she'd probably get at this point.

'_Three days...' _Mai leaned forward, resting her hands on the restroom sink and sighing, watching blankly as water dripped from her face and hair into its depths. Finally, she managed to tear her eyes away from the dull, meditative sight and look up into the mirror. A dry, humorless chuckle tore itself from her throat.

Sunken, exhausted eyes, tangled, matted hair framing a pale face smeared with grime and lined with scratches and wounds...she almost didn't recognize her own reflection.

'_Hah...oh man...I look like a ghoul. Three days without a shower, and all that running around in the heat...I probably smell like one, too...'_

A twist of the knob got the water running again. Mai was once more cupping the icy liquid in her hands and throwing it in her face, vigorously this time and punctuated by bouts of rubbing the dirt on her face with her fingers. It worked, kind of. The dirt at least_ looked_ a bit thinner.

This was as good as she would get it. With a groan and a stretch, Mai pushed off of the sink and started towards the restroom exit.

* * *

"Ah, there you are, Mai-san."

"Good morning, Mai-sama."

"What took you so long?! We've been standing out here for ages!"

Mai gave a short chuckle, leaning down to the blonde glaring at her with her arms crossed and kissing her on the cheek. "Easy there, dynamo. I'm glad you're taking initiative with all this, but we can't just rush in there without a plan."

"Of COURSE I'm 'taking initiative'! It's PERSONAL, dummy!" Reo yelled, waving her arms. "I'm not about to starve out here while those jerks at the supermarket eat all my snacks!"

Mai tried to hide her giggle as a yawn, an apparently unsuccessful attempt, by the way Reo scowled. "And we won't! You'll get your snacks back, Reo. But rushing in there headlong won't help us do that."

"GAAAH!" Reo brought both her hands up, scratching her head vigorously in frustration.

"First things first, we need to find Sara-san." Yuuna said. "She said she'd be waiting for us at the medical tent. Who knows? Maybe we can think of a plan on our way over there, Reo-san."

'Urgh...FINE! What are we waiting for!" Reo snapped. "Come on!"

And with that, she turned and fled.

"Ah, Reo-sama!" Nanami took off after her. "Do you even know where the medical tent is? Reo-sama, wait!"

Yuuna shook her head as she watched her girlfriend race after Reo, starting off at a brisk walk in the same direction.

"Yuuna-san...!"

Yuuna stopped, turning to face Mai. The blonde-haired girl frowned: Mai's expression looked as serious as her voice had sounded. "I need to talk to you, Yuuna-san. Privately."

"Wh...Well, yes. Of course..." Yuuna looked up. "We'll catch up with you, Nanami!" She called. "I just need to talk to Mai-san about something!"

"Er...okay!" Nanami looked a little confused for a second, then shrugged and took off running after Reo once more.

"Now..." Yuuna said, turning back to Mai. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Mai-san?"

Mai thought about the best way to answer. In all honesty, she was still trying to wrap her mind around it herself. On one hand, she didn't want to sound _too_ panicked. On the other, she wanted to make sure Yuuna knew beyond a shadow of a doubt the implications of what she had found. In the end, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the strange, futuristic Flock wristband, beckoning Yuuna over.

"Remember this thing?" She said as Yuuna huddled in close, effectively blocking the wristband from any who might have been watching.

"Yes..." Yuuna nodded. "That Flock member who was killed by Kaiwan was holding it, right?"

"Well, it still works. My curiosity got the better of me last night, and I took a look into it." Mai said, pressing the power button. Yuuna watched as the screen blinked to life. "And THIS is what I found."

It took Yuuna a second to realize what she was looking at. Then her eyes went wide. "Mai-san...this is...!"

"Yeah..." Mai nodded fiercely. "_It's the Demon Summoning Program_."

Yuuna watched as Mai's fingers danced over the wristband's touch-screen. "It has all the things we do." Mai continued, her voice tight. "The Devil Auction, the Cathedral of Shadows, the Mortician's List...explains how they find survivors...these guys are Demon Tamers..." Her finger slammed down on the Team Setup icon. "...who use angels! THIS is how they control them!"

Indeed it was so. Where an icon depicting a picture of a demon would be on Yuuna's phone, there was the familiar, red-helmed head of an angel. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as Yuuna just stared at the wristband's display, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly in a long sigh.

"So..." said Mai, hoping to break the oppressive silence. "What do you think, Yuuna-san?"

"What...what do I think?" Yuuna said slowly. It was evident she was trying to keep her voice as calm and steady as possible, unable to keep a slight quiver out of it "Well, the implications of this are rather...unnerving. Of course, it could simply be a matter of us jumping to conclusions when we don't know some key fact. One way or another..." her expression darkened as her eyes flicked down towards the screen again. "This casts a _very_ dark shadow on the Flock."

The two of them simply stood there for a while, staring down at the screen in front of them.

"So what do we do about the others?" Mai said, causing Yuuna to look up in confusion. "Should we...?"

"Tell them about this? I would strongly advise against it." Yuuna shook her head. "If things go the way they have been, it's likely we'll be fighting in very close proximity to the Flock against the Yakuza Tamers. Probably even alongside them as direct allies. We don't need that shadow of distrust hanging over all of us in the midst of combat. I'd say in regards to Nanami, Reo-san and Sara-san we should keep this strictly need-to-know. Besides..." She hung her head as Mai powered down the wristband and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Besides?" Mai cocked her head as she pushed the straps out of sight.

"You've seen the way Nanami's eyes light up every time she sees an angel, no? She's actually quite devout: she grew up on stories of angels and saints. She even likened me to the Virgin Mary a few times..." Yuuna shook her head with a small chuckle, then turned serious again. "I'll be honest, it must have been hard for her on some level to contract with demons, even if it was to save my life. Even through all this, I think it's clear she still trusts the angels more than anything else right now. If she were to get it into her head that these...paragons of goodness may not be all they seem to be, especially at a time like this..."

Mai nodded. "Got it. Don't worry, I wouldn't do that to her."

"Wonderful." Yuuna seemed relieved. "Now then, shall we meet up with the others? The medical tent's not too far from here."

"Sure." Said Mai. "Let's not keep them waiting."

* * *

Nanami pushed through the flap of the medical tent, stepping out of the heavy, disinfectant-thick atmosphere and back into the fresh morning air. They were impressive structures, five of them, all identical to each other. They were high-domed and a good twenty feet long, and were made of thick canvas colored a sterile white, the doorways adorned by a bright red cross.

Nanami had no idea which one of these tents contained Sara. She had just finished exploring the third one.

"So she wasn't in there either, huh?"

Nanami shook her head. Reo threw her hands up and leaned back into the bench she was sitting on. "Real nice of her, having us wait out here. She could've had the decency to meet us out here instead of shoving us into this guessing game!"

Nanami eyed the last two tents. "She probably just got occupied talking with Kaede-sama, Reo-sama. I mean, I bet she's really worried. She's gotta be in one of these two, though..."

Reo shrugged. "Whatever. Just find her."

Nanami turned to face Reo as the blonde relaxed into the bench. "You sure you don't want to come in with me?"

"No." Reo snapped. "I don't even know Kaede Kitajima, why would I want to talk to her? You can if you want, but I'm gonna wait out here for Mai."

Nanami shook her head, turning her gaze back to the tents, walking towards one of the last two remaining ones. "Okay..." She muttered as she reached for the flap.

The pungent odor of disinfectant hit Nanami for the fourth time as she stepped into the tent, prompting her to wrinkle her nose against it. The inside looked much the same as all the other ones: Flock members bustled to and fro, cleaning and bandaging wounds, applying ice to sprained joints and splints to broken limbs. Noticing a Flock member who looked unoccupied, she approached him.

"Excuse me!" She called. "Can you understand me? I'm looking for someone!"

The Flock member looked up, cocking his head in confusion, then pulled out his cell phone and spoke into it.

"I'm sorry." the translation said. "I don't understand."

Nanami bit back her groan, bowing slightly and backing away. _'Okay...'_ She thought as she started off toward the back of the tent. _'Guess I'll have to look for Sara-san myself...wait...is that her?!'_

Nanami would recognize the Saint Michael's uniform anywhere. The bean-jam colored fabric, backed with a green bow stood out among the white coats of the Flock doctors, and the casual outfits of most of the patients and visitors. Add to that the long brown hair and the fact she was sitting in a chair near a futon...

'_YES!'_ Nanami darted forward. "Sara-san! Kaede-sama! I finally found you-!"

Sara looked up, raising a finger to her lips. "Shh!" She hissed.

Nanami muttered a hasty apology as she peered around Sara, looking down at the occupant of the futon behind her. She couldn't help it: she gasped.

Sara hadn't been exaggerating when she said Kaede Kitajima had gotten hurt. Her hands and arms were bound up and down with a light layer of gauze. A wide facial bandage stretched around the top left quarter of her head, stopping just above the eye.. Still, she didn't look like she was in pain. Her breathing was measured and easy, and her eyes were closed lightly in sleep.

"The Flock said she's gonna be fine." Sara whispered. "I think we can thank the Harmonizer for that: the worst Jack gave her was a bit of frostbite on her arms and face. She passed out earlier 'cause she pushed herself too far fighting him, and she's sleeping off some painkillers now. If all goes well, she'll be back on her feet by tomorrow. Still..." She reached out a gentle hand, cupping Kaede's bare cheek. Even in her sleep, Kaede turned her face ever so slightly into the caress.

"I never..._ever_ want to see her like this again. So I'm gonna get stronger." Sara said. A tremor had entered her voice. "I'm gonna get stronger for Kaede-chan, and she'll never have to hurt herself to protect me ever again."

She took a breath to steady herself, then turned back to Nanami, a smile back on her face, though her eyes were a little bit wet..

"You're all waiting on me, right?"

Nanami nodded.

"Got it." Sara nodded, turning back to her sleeping girlfriend. "Give me...give me five more minutes, alright? I'll be out, I just want to...y'know...sit here with her. Just a little longer."

"Alright." Nanami said softly, starting to back away. "I'll tell the others."

And with that, she turned and walked away.

'_Seeing Sara-san of all people acting so seriously...I'm not sure I like it...'_ She thought, walking around a Flock member with a quick apology. _'Still, I know exactly where she's coming from...if that was Onee-sama lying there, bandaged up like a mummy and filled with painkillers, I wouldn't let anyone drag me away from her side...'_

Suddenly, Nanami was on the ground, the palm of her left hand and her right elbow throbbing with pain.. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed the quartet of Flock members come bursting through the flap at roughly the same time as she tried to go through it herself. The result was her getting knocked roughly aside, letting out a cry of shock as she hit the ground hard. The Flock members didn't give her a second glance as they rushed by her, and as Nanami watched them, she knew why.

The four hooded men were carrying a stretcher between them.

Nanami got to her feet as the men set the stretcher down on a free futon, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look at its occupant. That proved to be a mistake: it was only through willpower that she managed to keep from passing out.

All across his bare torso, his arms, his face, the man was covered in red, raw, shiny burns. Caused by a demon, no doubt. In all honesty, Nanami had no idea just how the man wasn't dead already from such horrific wounds. But the man was alive, and he was _screaming_. Howling at the top of his lungs, a horrible, agonized sound...Nanami thought she was going to be sick.

But the Flock members, remarkably, did not look worried in the slightest. One of them had lowered his hood, bowing his head and clasping his hands in prayer. As Nanami watched, a radiant figure materialized behind him.

An angel...a kind-faced, achingly beautiful woman, with long blue hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She was clad in a blinding white dress, and held in her hands an ancient tome and a set of scales.

"Dominion..." commanded the Flock member. "Heal this poor soul! Dia!"

The angel nodded silently, looking down at the burned man with pity in her eyes. Then she held out the set of scales in her hand, closing her eyes in concentration.

Nanami stared. _'Dia? Wait, but that's...'_

The man's breath caught in his throat as a warm green light enveloped him. Then he gave a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxing as his burns began to heal. In a matter of ten seconds, the wounds had vanished without a trace. Satisfied with her work, the angel faded away.

'_Dia...that's..._' Nanami's eyes widened. _'...that's a demonic spell. Moh Shvuu knows it, and so does Reo-sama's Pixie! We used it a zillion times during that fight against Kaiwan's servants! Why would an angel.._.?'

The Flock member was speaking again, watching as the man pushed himself into a seated position. "How are you feeling?" He asked calmly.

"I feel..." The man had raised his hand to his eyes, turning it over and staring at it in amazement. He turned his gaze down, roving it over his freshly-healed body. "I feel _great_. There's no pain...it's like I was never even...it's...it's a miracle!"

The Flock member chuckled. "Indeed it was a miracle. Through the grace of God, _all_ things are possible. Unfortunately..."

The man's huge smile faded. "Unfortunately?" The Flock member sighed as he gestured to his comrades around the tent, as they tended to the wounds of their patients.

"You see how we...plink and fumble with bandages and splints? These minor wounds would be gone with a _thought_..." He snapped his fingers for emphasis on the word 'thought'. "by the power of miracles. But one cannot have miracles without faith. Faith is the lifeblood of angels, the source of their power. And the angels, I am sorry to say, are running low on it. People just don't believe the way they used to. They rely on such...clumsy methods of healing over the power of the Lord." He gave a snort of derision and a disgusted shake of his head. Then he turned back to the man on the stretcher.

"It takes a great deal of faith in God for a spell like Dia to work." He continued. "We have enough to draw on for those who absolutely cannot survive without its divine power. But as for these minor wounds, painful as it may be, we cannot risk diverting power to healing them through miracles. Instead, we must use these more primitive methods."

'_But...but I don't think that's true! Faith has nothing to do with it!_' Nanami's mind was whirling. _'Dia doesn't depend on faith in God to work! I mean, I don't THINK it does, not as long as demons like Moh Shvuu and Pixie can use it! This guy...this Flock member is lying!'_

"So what are you saying?" The man said, his tone skeptical as he pulled on a t-shirt one of the other Flock members had handed to him. "That you could heal all these people with magic if more people believed?"

"_Miracles._" The Flock member said coldly. "Magic is false, demonic and empty. Miracles are the grace of God, and hold true power. But you are correct in that we could heal these people if we could spare the faith. Healing these wounds would be a simple task, but between the faith the angels expend fighting the demons and the Demon Tamers, we're forced to ration the healing powers of our angels for only those who desperately need it, and rely on more primitive methods for the minor wounds. If only more people put their faith in angels...if only more people _believed_..."

"I'll tell them!"

The Flock member turned in surprise to the man, who had jumped off the futon, his eyes blazing. "I'll tell everyone about how the angel saved my life! I'll tell everyone that they need their help, and then you'll have all the faith you'll need!"

It was evident, almost painfully so, that this was PRECISELY what the Flock member was waiting to hear. Still, he put on what may have been an attempt at an expression of disbelieving joy. "Truly? You...you'd do that for us?"

"Of course!" The man was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I'll tell everyone! I promise! I'll never forget this kindness...thank you!"

And with that, the man tore out of the medical tent. The Flock member watched him leave with a small smirk on his face. Then he raised his hood and began to help his comrades clean up the futon.

Nanami just sat there, frozen, until Sara found her.

* * *

"THERE you two are!" Reo snapped, jumping off of the bench and storming towards Mai and Yuuna as the two made their way toward her. "Where were you? We've been waiting for, like, fifteen minutes!"

Mai chuckled, patting Reo on the head: the blonde swatted her hand away with a small annoyed sound. "Don't worry, Reo. We weren't about to abandon you. Yuuna and I just needed to talk about something. So, where's Sara-san? And come to think of it, where's Nanami-sa...ah, speak of the devil!"

The two girls in question had just pushed through the flap of one of the medical tents, running over to Mai, Reo and Yuuna. Mai opened her mouth, intending to inquire about Kaede's condition, but stopped as Yuuna cut her off.

"Nanami-chan, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Yuuna stepped forward, reaching out and taking Nanami's cheek delicately in her hand.

Nanami blinked. The expression on her face was a strange one, vacant, like she was deep in thought about something. It seemed to take her a second to realize Yuuna was even there, even jumping slightly at her girlfriend's touch. "O-oh, Onee-sa...Yuuna-sama...!"

Mai approached the two. Reo followed close behind; even she looked concerned. "Nanami-san, did happen in there?" Mai asked.

"Well...er..." Nanami cast a glance over to Sara.

"T-tell 'em, Nanami-chan." Sara said nervously. "You saw it; you can explain it better than I can."

"Oh...right..." Nanami nodded. Everyone leaned in as she took a deep breath, paused, and then began to speak.

* * *

"And the Flock Member kept talking about 'miracles', like Dia was some kind of godly power that only the angels have!" Nanami babbled. "B-but that's not true: Moh Shvuu and Pixie know it too, right? Dia is a demonic spell, I think! Anyway, the guy, the guy on the stretcher, I mean, he said that he would help people believe in God, and the angels would get stronger because of that. Then he ran out of the tent. And...and that's it. That's what I saw. I...I don't understand." She hung her head. "That Flock member...he...he lied to that man..."

"Who's to say?" Reo shrugged. "The Flock knows a heck of a lot more about demons and angels than _we_ do. Maybe angels DO run on prayer."

"So where do demons get _their_ power?" Sara crossed her arms. "It can't be people's faith in them, I mean, I doubt anyone worships these things anymore. I never even heard of most of them until recently. And besides, that doesn't answer the question why angels have Dia, a spell that demons use. Heck, going by what Nanami-chan said, they're insisting that it's angel-exclusive. Experienced demon hunters would know better than anyone that's not the case." She shook her head. "I hate to say it, but I smell a rat."

'_And then there's the wristband...' _Thought Mai, glancing down at the pocket that housed it. _'The way the Flock controls their angels: through the Demon Summoning Program. The more we find out about these guys, the more suspicious they get...'_

"In any case...!"

There was strange urgency in Yuuna's voice, and her eyes flicked between Mai and Nanami a couple of times. "We have no solid proof as of now. It would be prudent to keep our eyes open, but we shouldn't let these worries shadow us until we do. We have more pressing things to worry about right now anyway."

Mai got the message, nodding and crossing her arms. "Right. Getting our food back from the Yakuza is gonna be a tall order: if we're gonna get involved, we're going to need the Flock's help."

"But-!" Nanami began, then stopped as Yuuna put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find the truth, Nanami-san. But right now, we need to figure out how to help the Flock get our food back. Alright?"

Nanami didn't seem entirely on-board with it, but still, she bit her lip and nodded.

"Alright then!" Sara said, clapping her hands in enthusiasm. "Let's see if we can manage to snag some food: won't do us any good if we're trying to plan on an empty stomach, right?"

"Ergh..." Mai hung her head. "Yuuna-san and I passed the food lines on the way over here. They had a lottery going. A freaking _lottery_..."

"Hey!" Sara grinned broadly. "Ya never know, right? Don't go anywhere: I'll be right back!"

And with that, she ran off.

"H-hey! Sara Kitajima!" Reo took off after her, Nanami following close behind. Yuuna watched as the three of them vanished into the crowd. As soon as they had, she drove her heel into the ground.

"_Dammit_..!"

Mai actually did a bit of a double take: it was the first time she had ever heard Yuuna curse. Understandable, given the circumstances of what had just happened, but still, it was rather unlike her. In the end, Mai could do nothing but shake her head. "Sorry, Yuuna-san..."

"No...no, it's nothing you did." Yuuna sighed. "Here I was, asking you not to tell Nanami anything about the Flock's wristband, and she finds out something even more dubious all on her own..."

"Hey..." Mai shrugged. "It's like you said earlier, right? It could come to nothing."

"One would like to hope..."

* * *

Sara, Reo and Nanami were back 15 minutes later. Sara and Nanami looked deflated. Reo was on the verge of tears.

"One...bag." She managed to choke. "We got one miserable bag of chips! They expect us to share a FUN-SIZE bag of chips between the _five_ of us!" She couldn't hold it in any longer, bursting into tears. "Those stupid Yakuza are gonna PAY!"

"Oh...Reo..." Mai gave her a hug, feeling the blonde trembling with rage and despair. "Hey, you want my share? I'm not that hungry."

Reo sniffled and nodded. Mai gave her one last squeeze, then took her by the hand. "C'mon."

The five of them made their way over to a nearby tree, sitting down beneath it. Sara pulled the bag open, peering inside. Shaking her head, she took a single chip out of it, crunching on a piece of it slowly, methodically, savoring the flavor. Finally, she swallowed, handing it over to Reo. "Here ya go."

Reo took it without so much as a thank you, rummaging around in its depths.

"It's funny." Sara said, swallowing another tiny piece of her chip. "I usually jump through hoops to avoid carbs. Times like this, when I really need them, I can't GET them. Aah..." Shaking her head, she popped the last of her chip into her mouth. "So..." She said as Reo reluctantly handed the bag to Nanami. "What's the plan?"

"Well, we won't get very far against the Yakuza if we fight them alone. If we want any chance at all, we're going to need to fight alongside the Flock." Mai leaned back against the tree, crossing her arms and bowing her head in thought. "That much is a definite. The real question is how we're gonna convince them we're on the level...we need to talk them into letting us work with them even though we're Demon Tamers..."

"Ahem..."

Mai looked up in surprise at Yuuna, who had cleared her throat for attention. "I believe _I _can be of assistance."

"Really?" Sara seemed a little surprised. "You think you can convince them?"

"Of course, Sara-san! Yuuna-sama can convince anyone to do anything!" Nanami said proudly.

"Well..." Yuuna shrugged a bit, a small smile on her face. "I wouldn't quite go _that_ far. But I think I can work something out with the Flock."

"No..."

"No?" Yuuna looked up in surprise: Mai was shaking her head. "You don't think I'm _capable_, Mai-san?"

"No, no, it's not that." Mai waved her hand, casting her mind around for the best way to phrase her concern. "But we can't have ANY margin for error with this. If something, _anything_ goes wrong when we're trying to convince them, they won't just let us walk away. I'm sure Yuuna-san would be able to talk them into it, but still, it's a gamble I just don't want to take: the payoffs opposed to the consequences just aren't worth it."

"Meaning?" Reo cocked her head in confusion.

"Meaning they'd most likely attack us, Reo-sama." Sara crossed her arms. "That one that came after me wasn't too thrilled to see that I was a Tamer, and he wasn't listening to a word I had to say. If Kaiwan hadn't showed up, I'd probably be in some cell right now getting interrogated or something. These guys have no patience for Tamers: they find out about us, they'll either take us prisoner or chase us out of the park."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So...what do we do?" Nanami asked nervously. "If we can't convince the Flock, we're stuck."

"We'll think of something, Nanami-san." Mai waved her hand breezily, trying to sound optimistic. "Let's focus on what we know for sure for now: if we're going to be fighting the Yakuza, we're going to need to get stronger. That means we have to use every part of the Program to its fullest." Pulling out her cell phone, she turned it on. "We'd better learn how to use the Cathedral."

"The what?"

Mai paused, holding out her phone to Reo. "The...Cathedral of Shadows? It can fuse demons together."

Reo blinked in confusion. "When'd you get something like _that_?"

"We ALL got it yesterday, Reo-sama!" Sara said incredulously. "Weren't you paying attention when Cypher sent us the email explaining it?" Reo shook her head.

"No. I was buying demons from the auction and I ignored it. Came in the middle of one of my bids, and it threw me off, too. Stupid Cypher..." She glared at the ground. "I wanted that Bilwis..."

"Well...!" Mai said brightly, scooting over to Reo. "I think you'll like the Cathedral of Shadows, Reo: it can take two demons, mix them together, and make a NEW demon that's even stronger!"

This caught Reo's attention. "Seriously?!" Mai yanked her phone out of reach as Reo practically lunged for it. "What are you waiting for, Mai? Show me how to use it!"

Mai chuckled as she pushed the icon: a heart split down the middle into a light half and dark half. "This is actually _my_ first time using it, Reo. But if it's anything like the Auction, it should be user-friendly. At least, that's what I'm hoping..."

* * *

And it was, in a matter of speaking. It took a few minutes, but Reo seemed to get the idea. The methods of fusing demons together and customizing them by passing down their skills were straightforward enough, and the program even came with a search option that let her pick exactly what she wanted to make.

Mai couldn't say the results made much logical sense, though. Combining the "Avian" Itsumade with the catlike "Beast" Kabuso would give rise to Tam Lim, a knight in armor wielding a spear. Fusing Itsumade with Waira, on the other hand, would result in Makara, the strange deer-fish hybrid that she had seen Baldy summon the day before. She supposed it had something to do with the races, and in the end, decided it didn't matter.

Makara looked like it would be a good addition to her team. So she selected it, choosing the skills she wanted it to inherit. A final prompt appeared on the screen, asking her if she wanted to "end inheritance and fuse." Taking a breath, she hit the confirmation.

A pair of cards appeared on the screen, depicting Itsumade and Waira. As Mai watched, the cards began to glow, an intricate magical seal appearing behind them.

'_Here we go...'_

Slowly, the cards began to circle each other, moving along the outside of the seal. Faster and faster, the glow getting brighter and brighter the faster they traveled. Faster and faster, brighter and brighter, until Mai could no longer make the individual cards out. There was only a ring of light now, crackling with electric energy before collapsing in upon itself in a flash that whited out the entire screen.

And then, it was over. The light faded, revealing her new demon. _"ME MAKARA THE SNAKE!_" A dialogue box declared proudly under an image of the deer/fish hybrid. _"ME FIGHT, BUT ME REAL JOB IS CARRY GODS."_

Reo seemed pleased with the result of whatever fusion she had performed, if her unnervingly cruel chuckling was anything to go by. "Heheheh...Abraxas...those stupid Yakuza don't stand a chance!" She cackled

Yuuna was nodding in satisfaction, and Sara, after buying a few demons off of the auction first, had fused up some new teammates as well. Nanami, however, stood in stark contrast to this, looking decidedly somber.

"What's wrong, Nanami-chan?"

Nanami looked up at the sound of her girlfriend's voice, glancing around at them all and meeting their concerned expressions. "Well..." She said slowly. "It just feels...weird?"

"Weird?" Yuuna cocked her head in confusion. Nanami didn't sound like she was so sure about her choice of words herself. "What's weird, Nanami-chan?"

"Fusion, I guess." Nanami shrugged, looking down at her phone. "I mean, it's strange: I know Kobold's a demon. If it weren't for my contract with it, it'd kill me on the spot. But still...

"Seriously?" Reo said incredulously. "_Seriously_, Nanami Oda?! You're trying to tell me you've gotten _attached _to them?!"

"No! That's not...not really..." Nanami hung her head.

"Oh for...they're DEMONS!" Reo shouted. "They're monsters! You win them over by bribing them with a kind of money you get by being as bloodthirsty as they are!"

"I know, but..."

"But NOTHING!" Reo snapped, turning back to her phone and hammering in commands. "Getting attached to demons...you're an idiot, Nanami Oda, a Grade-A moron! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some demons to fuse! There!" She said triumphantly. "Fusion number TWO! I just turned Kikimora and the Waira I bought yesterday on the auction into a Heqet, and I don't feel bad about it at all! So there!"

Nanami cringed, the heat rushing to her face. "Ugh..."

"Don't take it personally, Nanami-san." Mai shrugged. "Reo doesn't have much patience for anyone in general."

"HMPH!"

"To be honest, Nanami-san, I kinda feel the same way." Mai continued, ignoring Reo. "It's to be expected, I guess: I mean Kabuso protected us through a couple of fights, and I've gotten kind of attached to him. It's kind of stupid of me, I know, but what can you do. Hey, I have an idea!" She said brightly. "Fuse fresh off the auction! It'll help you not feel as attached to them!"

Nanami looked away. _'But that's not the problem...still...whether I like it or not, this is the situation I'm in. Complaining and hiding my head in the sand isn't going to change anything.'_

And with that, she entered the auction.

* * *

"Alright!" Mai snapped her phone shut and got to her feet. "That oughta do it. Everyone else done?"

"Uh huh..." Nanami gave her phone one last look before turning it off and standing up. "Can't say I'm completely on board with fusion and all. It still seems kind of...I don't know, I just don't like it. Still..." She allowed herself a little smile. "My new Nekomata's kind of cute..."

"I'll say it a million times, Sara Kitajima!" Reo was shouting. "My new Abraxas is better than

your stupid Gag-whatever! A million times better!"

"And you'll be wrong every time, Reo-sama." Sara crossed her arms, grinning smugly down at the seething blonde girl. "And I can prove it through sheer logic: Gagyson has Elec Dance, and Abraxas is weak to electricity."

"And Abraxas knows Force Dance, dummy!" Reo screamed. "Gaga-whatsis is weak to it! So there!"

"Yeah, well, even so, Gagyson's still better." Sara shrugged. "Because he's a pink pterodactyl, and Abraxas is a rooster-man. Really, I don't know why we're still having this conversation."

"I oughtta...!"

"Whoa!" Mai jumped forward, putting herself between Sara and Reo. "What's going on here?" Reo was in her face in a flash.

"Mai, tell Sara Kitajima that Abraxas is better than Gagzilch!" She snapped, pointing at Sara. Mai blinked in confusion.

"Who's...better than...what?"

"TELL HER!" Reo shouted.

"Um...okay." Mai shrugged, turning to Sara. "Abraxas is better than Gagzilch."

"THERE!" Reo planted her hands on her hips, facing Sara with a huge, smug smile. "Mai agrees with me!"

"Oh yeah!" Reo's smile faltered as Sara's grew. "Abraxas is WAY better than Gagzilch. But _Gagyson_ blows them both out of the water. Glad I fused one up."

It took Reo a full five seconds for it to click. Then her face turned the color of a ripe tomato as she swelled like a bullfrog.

"Hey, hey!" Mai guided Reo away with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Both of your demons are awesome, and I bet they'll help us a lot against the Yakuza. But let's save it for them, alright?"

Reo shot a glare and a growl at Sara, before relenting with a shake of her head. Mai turned to Yuuna. "What about you, Yuuna-san? Get anything to...you know..."

"Replace Ogun?" Much to Mai's surprise, Yuuna smiled. "Funny you should mention it. As it would turn out, our demons don't die when they're defeated. It takes a little while, but they recover on their own."

"Really? Ogun's alive? That's awesome, Yuuna-san!"

"Yes." Yuuna nodded. "And I bought myself a Knocker on the auction, and made myself a few new demons in the Cathedral: Sarasvati and Tenong Cut. Overall, I think I've been productive..."

"Cool. Got myself a Makara...well, now comes the hard part." Mai beckoned the others over. "It's time to talk to the Flock."

"I'm telling you, you don't worry about anything, Mai-san." Yuuna said, closing her eyes with a self-assured smile. "I'm sure that I can come to some arrangement with them."

"I'm sure you can, Yuuna-san." Mai shook her head. "But we're not ABSOLUTELY sure. This isn't something we can just hinge on charisma and hope for the best, not after the first Tamers people saw blew up their food. We need solid evidence that we're on the Flock's side. We need _proof_..."

Yuuna thought for a moment, then nodded. "Ah...there's an idea..."

"What's an idea, Yuuna-sama?" Nanami watched as Yuuna pulled out her phone, the blonde's fingers dancing across the screen.

"If the Flock's going to be fighting the Yakuza, it stands to reason there'll be casualties. So if we use the Mortician's List to find a high number of casualties in a certain area at a certain time..."

"That'll be a battle! We can get there first, fight alongside the Flock, and prove we want to help them!" Nanami's face split into a huge grin. "Yuuna-sama, you're a genius!"

"Help them out of a jam..." Mai nodded. "We run up, offer to help: they couldn't very well turn on us if it means going up against us AND the Yakuza. Then Yuuna-san could explain the situation. And if it fails we could just run back to the park. It'd be hard to find us in a crowd. Yeah...yeah, I think it'll work! So..." she walked over to Yuuna. "you know where a fight's gonna happen?"

Yuuna nodded. "Yes. I see a number of foreign names right here on 6-2: these are Flock members, most likely. And look, it's right near the supermarket: I can only assume that they are going to be ambushed on their attempt to take it back. How fortuitous: perhaps this whole debacle will be over faster than I thought. If this group is the one meant to take back the market, they'll need all the help they can get."

"Sweet!" Sara pumped her fists enthusiastically. "What time does it happen, Yuuna-sama?"

Yuuna checked again. "3:30."

"We got a couple of hours...that's perfect." Mai nodded, Yuuna looked up in surprise.

"What do you mean, Mai-san?" She asked.

"We actually have some stuff we need to get done first." Mai explained. "I think we'll have enough time: I was thinking we should take a run to the clothing store first."

"The _clothing store_?" Reo shot her girlfriend an incredulous look. "You're seriously thinking about shopping at a time like this, Mai?!"

"_No_..." Mai shook her head, a condescending smile on her face. "I was just thinking we could grab ourselves some better outfits. I mean, we're all pretty much dressed to take a leisurely walk around the town, not running around fighting demons. I was thinking of maybe grabbing us some t-shirts, shorts or a skirt, tennis shoes, just something easier to move in. Maybe some hair bands for you, Sara-san and Yuuna-san too. I mean, you'll need to keep your hair out of your eyes..."

"You make a good point, Mai-sama." Sara twisted her head around to look down her back. "This bow's just one more thing for a demon to grab, ya know? And the uniform itself is pretty heavy... yeah, I could go for a lighter outfit."

"I see no reason not to." Yuuna said calmly as Nanami nodded.

"Awesome. If we hurry, we'll get to the shop, have some time to find what we need, and then get to 6-2 in time for the action. C'mon, let's go! I declare Operation: Win the Flock Over underway!"

* * *

Unfortunately, things would prove to be more complex: as Mai and her friends moved in a tight-knit group along a path leading out of the park, the Flock members guarding it noticed them. Their batons were raised in a second, and the group of girls skidded to a halt.

"Urgh..." groaned Mai. "Go...go back. Go back."

It took good while for the Flock to lower their weapons. Watching them through the crowd, the hooded men surveyed their surroundings intently for a full ten seconds after the girls were out of sight before collapsing their batons and placing them back on their belts. Even then, there was a noticeable tenseness in their posture as they kept their hands close to their batons, and their left hands in tight fists..

"What's with them?" Sara raised an eyebrow as she jabbed a finger over her shoulder at the Flock. "Yesterday they just let me through!"

"Ah...but that was _before _they knew Demon Tamers exist. No sane person would willingly go out into that hellhole unless they had some way to protect themselves..." Yuuna rubbed her chin. "This complicates things..."

"So we're...no. No!" Reo was shaking her head. "No way! There's no way I'm _anyone's_ prisoner, especially not people as sketchy as the Flock! You have a plan, right Mai?" She rounded on her girlfriend. "Come on, how do we get out of here?!"

Mai thought for a moment, glancing around the park, mumbling under her breath and doodling strange images in the air with her hands. Finally, she gave her fingers a snap of affirmation.

"Follow me."

Mai took off running, beckoning her friends. The others gave chase, following Sara all the way to the high metal and stone fence surrounding the park. Reo's expression turned into one of confusion.

"Wha...over the _wall_?" She said incredulously. "You're crazy, Mai, you'll never make it! The Flock'll be all over us before you can get halfway up!"

"And I'm not sure I can climb it at all." Nanami said morosely, looking down at herself. "Even if I were dressed in better clothes for it, I'm not all that athletic..."

Mai didn't seem shaken by these complaints, however. "Just follow my lead and get ready to run." She said, pulling out her cellphone.

Reo realized instantly what Mai was planning to do, and her eyes went wide. "Wait, wha-no, Mai, DON'T!"

But it was too late. Mai opened her cell phone.

"Makara!"

The demonic fish/deer appeared in a flash of light. Mai's friends watched in amazement as she jumped onto its back, pointing to the wall.

"Makara, jump over the wall!" She shouted, then pressed herself to the demon, hanging onto its neck for dear life. Makara wound up its hooved hind legs, then sprang clean over the fence. As soon as it was on the ground, Mai jumped off its back, returning it to her phone and running off as fast as she could.

A huge grin spread over Sara's face as she pulled her phone out, holding it up high.

"Gagyson!"

The demon appeared: a pink humanoid bird-like demon, with a wickedly curved beak, a pointed tail, vicious-looking talons, and a pair of bat-like wings sprouting from its back..

"Sara-san this is crazy!" Nanami shrieked. Her friend paid her no heed as the pink demon gathered her up bridal-style in its arms. Sara pointed at the wall.

"Up and over, Gagyson!"

Her demon obliged, spreading its massive wings. A single beat of them got the two airborne, and Sara let out an exhilarated shriek of laughter as Gagyson soared over the wall, landing gently on the other side.

Reo spun around: somehow, mercifully, the crowd hadn't seemed to notice them fully yet. Mai had likely been fast enough to avoid being noticed, and the ones that had seen Sara's demon looked too stunned to even react, mouthing in wordless terror. The panic was moving slowly through the crowd, but it was growing in strength as it spread.

She realized suddenly it was the best chance they would get.

Nanami watched as Reo brought forth her own demon. It was a strange-looking creature: its torso was that of a human male, but its head was a greenish-feathered rooster's. In place of its legs were a pair of live snakes, moving on their own accord. In one hand was clenched a broad shield, and in its other was a leafy branch. It looked down at Reo, sizing her up.

"Take me over the wall, Abraxas!" Reo commanded.

The demon obliged, reaching out and slinging its master over its shoulder. Reo let out a shriek as Abraxas launched itself into the air. It came down hard, then set Reo down on the pavement. It took a moment for Reo to get on her feet, and she was clutching her stomach where the demon's shoulder had dug in when it landed. Then she staggered after Sara and Mai.

Yuuna looked back at the crowd: they seemed to have fully grasped what was happening by this point. Screams were going up as they backed away, eyes wide with horror. And seated in the grass about thirty feet away were two hooded members of the Flock, their hooded heads turned directly at them. Even at that distance, and even under the heavy hoods, Yuuna could see the absolutely incredulous expressions on their faces.

"Oh _my_...! Nanami, come on!" Yuuna shouted as she summoned Ogun and jumped onto its back: the spear-wielding demon was over the wall in a single bound.

"But...but...!" Nanami shrieked, whipping around frantically. Her breath caught painfully in her throat: the Flock members had scrambled to their feet, whipping out their batons and charging right for her. She practically snapped her cell phone in half in her frantic attempts to get it open.

"M-moh Shvuu!"

The red-robed girl erupted from her cell phone. Nanami wrapped her arms around her.

"Please be strong enough...take me over the wall-!"

Moh Shvuu did so: Nanami felt a rush of air as the demon flew high into the air, a pit opening up in her stomach as her feet left the ground. Unable to look, she tightened her grip on Moh Shvuu, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she could. Then came the part she was dreading: the sickening lurch of weightlessness. Even though Moh Shvuu wasn't descending quickly exactly, it was still enough to put Nanami's insides in her throat. Suddenly it was over: Moh Shvuu set her down gently, vanishing back into her phone. Even with the hard pavement against her feet again, it took Nanami a moment to regain enough presence of mind for the realization to hit that she was safely on the ground, and to trust herself enough to open her eyes.

"Nanami! Nanami, get up! Run!"

Yuuna's desperate shouts shook Nanami out of the last of her stupor. Looking up, she saw the familiar shapes of two armored angels soaring high into the sky. With a gasp, he took off after her girlfriend at a full run.

* * *

"Too...much...running...! And this _heat..._! I..._hate_...running!"

Mai slumped against a lamp post, hand at her heart and too out of breath to answer her girlfriend. Annoyed by the silence, Reo lifted her head with a herculean effort, glaring as venomously as she could at Mai.

"What...were...you..._thinking_?!" Reo managed to choke. "Summoning demons...right under their noses?!"

"It worked...didn't it?" Mai finally managed to gasp back. "We're out of...the park."

"YES! And I bet we're gonna have angels...swooping down on us any second now!" Reo seethed. Mai waved her off.

"Nah, I doubt it. They're not gonna send guys into the city...to hunt down a couple of high schoolers...even if we are Demon Tamers. They've got more important things to worry about. At least...I hope they do..."

"Mai...you are _insane_!"

"Hey...c'mon Reo-sama...it wasn't all that bad...!" Even though Sara was lying sprawled on her back on the pavement, she was beaming ear-to-ear. "I mean...we got to ride demons! You gotta admit...that was awesome!"

"No I don't!" Reo snapped. "It wasn't 'awesome' at all, Sara Kitajima! Abraxas threw me over his shoulder like a sack and then jumped straight up! You know what it was like to see the ground just...zoom away and then _towards_ you like that?! And then it landed so hard it knocked the wind out of me!"

"Ah..." Sara chuckled, closing her eyes and nodding. "The evidence for Gagyson's superiority...just keeps rollin' in."

"Wha-HUH?! You..._you_...! Oh forget it...too tired...ugh...you dummy..."

Mai pushed herself off the lamp post, wiping her brow with the back of her arm. "Hey..." She looked around. "I just realized...we're a couple heads short...where's Nanami-san and Yuuna-san?"

Sara pushed herself into a seated position, staring down in the general direction of the park. The seconds passed, and with no sign of either of them, Sara was beginning to look worried. "Uh oh...we must've gotten separated when we were running away! C'mon, let's go look for 'em!"

"Hang on a second, Sara-san." said Mai as Sara got up, staggering slightly. "Let's check the Mortician's List first."

"Mortician's List...ohh! Good idea, Mai-san!" Sara pulled out her phone, grinning as she flicked down the list. "If they're in danger, it'll save us the trouble of wandering around aaaaand Yuuna-sama's not listed...and neither is Nanami-chan."

"Well, at least we know they're safe...can't say I'm surprised if they're together, there's no way Yuuna-san'd let anything happen to Nanami-san." Mai hung her head in thought. "But wandering around the city looking for them isn't going to help us find them. My suggestion is get to the clothing store: it's only a few blocks down. If they're not in any danger, they should be heading there."

"Ugh, if only we could text 'em or something!" Sara groaned as she pocketed her phone. "Cypher could have at least let us keep normal phone functions..."

Mai shrugged, turning to Reo. "Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a minute!" Reo held up a hand, leaning down and resting her hands on her knees. "Still kind of out of...oh..._aaaaah_..."

Mai blinked, surprised by Reo's sudden change in tone. "Um...Reo?"

"You don't feel that?" The blonde had closed her eyes in bliss. "Ohhh...cool breeze...oh, that feels _good_."

"Yeah..." Sara looked over to Mai. "Yeah, I feel it too. Heh...it does feel kind of good after all that running."

Indeed it was: a draft had come down the street. Mai couldn't help it: she closed her eyes with a contented sigh as it swept over her sweaty body with a refreshing burst of cold.

'_Cool breeze...middle of summer...high noon?!'_

The moment of dawning comprehension hit.

"REO, WATCH OUT!"

Mai took a diving leap, tackling Reo just as the demon came barreling down the street: a roaring mass of muscles, fur, claws and antlers leaping into the air and bearing down on them like a freight train. It just barely missed: its huge fist buried itself deep into the pavement where Reo had been just seconds before. Mai dragged Reo to her feet as Sara regrouped with them, the three girls staring in shock as the demon extricated its fist from the road.

The creature turned to face them, snarling. It possessed the body of a gray-furred, bipedal bear, with a black, hairless chest adorned with blue war paint. A pair of glowing red eyes glared out of a black, strangely human-like face, which was crowned by a pair of spreading, deer-like antlers. Standing erect at what had to be nearly ten feet, the demon started toward them.

"_Ughhh...so hot..._" It growled. _"So...hungry...!_"

"Wendigo..." Mai read off her phone as she aimed it at the demon. "Jaki-class. Reflects Ice, weak to Fire!"

"Ice...this thing must be what's causing that cold air! HEY!" Sara shouted. "Wendigo! You mind not killing us?"

"Wha...Sara Kitajima, what are you _doing_?!"

"Hey, it's worth a shot, Reo-sama! C'mon, Wendigo, that breeze you're bringing with you feels great, and we wanna enjoy it a little longer! Pleeeeease?" Sara put her hands together, donning her best doe-eyes as a finishing touch.

It worked about as well as one would expect.

"_HUUUUNNNNGRRRRYYYYY!"_ Wendigo charged right for them with a bloodcurdling scream. The three girls scattered as its massive arm nearly clotheslined Sara's head off. Her phone was in her hand a second later, Jack Frost and Gagyson appearing in front of her and standing protectively between her and the massive horned demon. Reo and Mai followed suit, summoning Abraxas and Pixie, and Makara and Kabuso respectively.

"Here we go..." Mai muttered under her breath as Wendigo sized up its opponents. At length it seemed to decide Kabuso was its best target, and it dove toward the cat, swiping at it with its sharp claws.

"_Too slow, ya big lug!" _Kabuso jumped nimbly out of the way and held its paws out. _"AGI!_"

The cat's fireball shot forward, roaring through the air directly at Wendigo. The horned demon was trying to keep its balance after its clumsy attack, leaving it no way to dodge: the fireball exploded against its chest.

It didn't even make Wendigo stumble. If anything, it made the monstrous, hairy beast angrier, and it charged directly for Kabuso. The cat dodged again, and Wendigo barreled right past it, snapping a streetlight clean in two before realizing it had missed. Stumbling to a halt, it turned around to snarl again at its quarry.

"Whoa...!" Mai gaped. "And that was supposed to be _good_ against it! Not even Kaiwan tanked something he was bad against!"

"_Urrgh...annoying...too fast..."_ Wendigo grumbled. _"Freeze you...then EAT you!_"

Sara cringed as the demon inhaled deeply. "Oh boy..."

"MOVE!" Mai yelled, she, her friends, and their demons scattering as Wendigo exhaled a wide stream of freezing air, frost forming on the ground as it narrowly missed them. The attack froze two cars, a lamppost, and two parking meters solid.

Reo wasn't about to give it a chance to launch a second one. "Abraxas!" She shouted. "Force Dance!"

Abraxas raised the branch in its hand, roiling streams of wind coalescing around it. Then it swiped out with it: once, twice, three times, each firing a blast of air. They struck Wendigo, the demon grunting in pain and bringing its arms up to protect itself as the blasts forced it back step by step.

"What are you waiting for!" Reo shouted, turning to the others as Abraxas continued its assault. "Screw fairness! Gang up on it!"

"Got it!" Mai pointed a finger at Wendigo. "Makara, Zan! Kabuso, Agi!"

Her demons obeyed, burying Wendigo under a barrage of wind and fire. The massive demon let out a groan of pain as the blasts forced it to its knees.

"You too, Gagyson!" Sara ordered. "Elec Dance!"

Gagyson obliged, electricity crackling around its clawed hands. Lashing out with them like twin whips, Gagyson's attacks joined the others, the onslaught kicking up a huge cloud of dust that hid Wendigo from sight.

"Okay...okay, good!" Mai shouted, holding up a hand. "I think that'll do it. Stay on guard, though, just in case..."

The three watched nervously as the dust cleared, tensed and ready to command their demons. To their collective relief, Wendigo looked rather worse-for-wear now: its breathing was even more ragged as it staggered slowly to its feet, and the attacks had torn huge chunks of fur from its body.

"Ugh, it's still alive!" Sara took a step back. "Just how durable is this thing?"

"_Too...many..." _Wendigo grumbled. _"Too fast...too lively..._"

Mai pointed to the demon. "Come on, let's see if it can shake off another salvo-"

She saw the blur of motion beneath her too late.

Something had erupted from the ground: Mai caught a split second look at a noodly green and orange arm topped by equally boneless fingers. Then the fingers glowed a sick shade of purple and the demon swiped them across her chest. As soon as they touched her, Mai's body went rigid. A second later, she collapsed to the pavement without a sound. Her demons spun around as this new creature lashed out again: a single punch to Kabuso's face blasted it into black smoke, and a second swipe of its purple-glowing fingers sent Makara collapsing to the ground, twitching.

"MAI!" Reo shrieked. "Abraxas, get that thing away from her!"

Abraxas opened its beak, firing a Zan directly into the demon. The creature was tossed through the air, tumbling across the ground, even rolling up like a sheet at one point before coming to a stop in a crumpled heap. Reo rushed to check on her fallen lover. "Mai, what happened?!"

To her astonishment, Reo didn't see any wounds. Not even Mai's shirt had been slashed. But she was shivering violently, teeth clenched tightly and every muscle in her body completely stiff. Her eyes were still moving, though, fearful and darting frantically in every direction. It looked like whatever the demon had done to her had left her completely paralyzed. Her demon seemed less so, but was still struggling to try to get up.

"_Heheheh...friends help me...!_" Wendigo growled, his tone notably smug as he sat down on the curb. _"Make you lie still! You not move! Urgh...hot...tired. I sit here and watch. I rest, they weaken you, I eat you alive!_"

"What the heck are those things, Sara Kitajima?" Reo shouted.

"Lessee..." Sara held her phone up, tapping her way through the menus. The demon had gotten up, and two more had appeared next to it, simply rising from the ground as if it were water. They were strange creatures, so flat they were almost two dimensional. They were green and orange in color, with complex technicolor markings covering their flat bodies from faceless head to long, boneless toe. The trio of demons started toward the three girls, their gait more like a wobbling, staggering, marionette dance than a walk. "Um...how did Mai-sama...ah, there we go! They're Ghosts called Tenong Cut! They're weak to Fire and...oh no, they null Electric?! That's Gagyson's specialty!"

"I don't care!" Reo snapped, gesturing Abraxas forward. The rooster-headed demon took up position blocking Mai from the approaching ghosts. "Those things don't get anywhere NEAR Mai, understand?!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sara nodded. "I still got Jack, and Gagyson's got his claws! This'll be a snap!"

The Tenong Cuts twitched and shuddered violently for a second, then lunged forward, Abraxas intercepted one of them with Force Dance and sent it sprawling, and Jack Frost's Bufu froze another's feet to the ground, but the third managed to bend out of the way of the incoming attacks, continuing to charge at its foes. Gagyson swooped forward to meet it, slashing and swiping with both of its taloned hands. Tenong Cut dodged every one of the swipes with ease, moving more like a fluid than a solid entity.

"_Fast..._be careful, Gagyson...!" Sara shouted.

A foolishly-timed swing left Gagyson's back wide open, and Tenong Cut capitalized on it: stretching its arm back and shooting it forward like a snapped rubber band. The punch struck Gagyson in the back, sending it tumbling end-over-end. It managed to recover, turning itself around to face its opponent as it continued its assault: Tenong Cut wound up both of its arms, bringing them forward in a barrage of rapid-fire punches. Gagyson could do nothing but bring its arms up, covering its face as the ghost pummeled it.

Too occupied with its opponent, the Tenong Cut forgot about the other ones: an order from Sara sent Jack Frost into action. Leaping high into the air and bringing its hands forward, the snowman shot a Bufu at Tenong Cut. The ghost ceased its assault on Gagyson just in time, bringing up its noodly appendages to block the blast of frigid air. Although the Bufu generated a block of ice around Tenong Cut's arms, a few seconds of straining shattered it to pieces. Still, the attack served its purpose: Gagyson took flight, retreating back next to Jack Frost.

"Yikes, that did some damage..." Muttered Sara. "Jack Frost, use Fairy Dust!"

"_You got it, hee-ho!"_ Jack Frost spun in place, raising its chubby arm. A cloud of shimmering white dust erupted from its body, surrounding it and Gagyson. The healing effect took hold almost instantly, Gagyson shaking off its daze and flashing its claws at Tenong Cut.

"Alright...plan 'B': Jack Frost, get in there!"

"_Hee-ho!_" Jack crowed, jumping forward and exhaling a blast of cold air. Tenong Cut was hit dead on by it, raising its arms to shield itself from the gusting winds and stumbling backwards as ice crystals began to coat its body. Sara's heart leapt.

"I guess these things can't dodge magic so easily...alright...I can do this...Gagyson!" She shouted. "Fall back and protect Mai-sama! If Wendigo tries anything funny, zap him! Jack Frost, let's take this thing!"

Gagyson nodded, flying back to Mai's side and standing protectively over her. Tenong Cut flexed, breaking the ice covering it, then lunged forward, bearing down on Jack and raising its arms. The snow fairy jumped out of range as the arms stretched back and shot forward into the sidewalk, shooting another Bufu at the ghost. Tenong Cut reacted quickly, bringing its arm up to block it: the result was a rugged block of ice encasing it. Said block of ice was quickly weaponized as Tenong Cut wound up and swung it in a wide arc that Jack Frost just barely managed to duck.

Sara trusted herself enough to steal a glance at Reo. She was doing well: Abraxas was keeping the two Tenong Cuts attacking it at bay with Force Dance and Zan. _'Not bad for a giant chicken..._' thought Sara. Then she turned her gaze to Mai.

Whatever Tenong Cut had done to her seemed to be wearing off: Mai was moving slowly, painfully, trying to get control of her muscles again and struggle to her feet.

'_Awesome...as soon as she's back in the fray, taking these things down will be a snap...just gotta hold out a little longer...!'_

Something behind her let out a horrible sputtering noise. Tenong Cut had managed to get ahold of Jack Frost, wrapping its arm tightly like a noose around the snowman's nonexistent neck and hoisting it off the ground. Jack Frost's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, retaining its fanged, wide-mouthed smile. If anything, this almost made it worse as it gasped for air and thrashed violently, trying to escape the strangling grasp.

"Jack!" Sara shrieked.

Jack Frost's hands came up, grabbing Tenong Cut's arm, and almost instantly ice engulfed it. Then Jack pulled with all its strength, and the ghost's arm shattered. The snowman dropped to the ground, gasping for air as Tenong Cut staggered backwards, holding the stump of its arm.

Jack Frost inhaled, then breathed a Bufu directly into Tenong Cut's face. The ghost's remaining hand came up to clutch its face as it froze solid. In three steps, Jack Frost had jumped toward it, bringing its fist back. With an empathic cry of _"Hee-HO!_" Jack shattered the ghost's head with a single punch. It dissolved into black smoke before it even hit the ground.

"BOOM!" Sara pumped a fist into the air. "Gotcha! How'd ya like that, noodle-man?!"

"_Urrgh..._"

Wendigo pushed itself to its feet, its red eyes glaring daggers at Sara and Jack. _"Annoyed...angry...hungry!"_

The towering demon charged with surprising speed. Jack Frost's quick reflexes saved it as Wendigo brought its massive fists down, smashing the street to fragments.

"Gagyson!" Sara ordered. The pink demon took flight, landing next to Jack Frost and watching as Wendigo stood erect, glaring down at its foes.

"_You just human...you get lucky...I stronger than friends. You not beat me! I kill you! I EAT YOU!"_

The demon thrust its arms forward: its fur rippled, then shot forward in two massive jets. Gagyson and Jack Frost cried out in shock as the fur wrapped tightly around them. With a roar, Wendigo spun around, tossing them over Sara's head.

Sara's stomach lurched as she instinctively spun around, watching her demons hurtle into the horizon. "Jack! Gagyson!"

"_HUNGRYYYYYY!" _Wendigo turned its bloodshot gaze to Sara, barreling right at her. Too close...too fast...Sara squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain...

There was a rush of air, and Wendigo let out a roar as it was blown backwards. Sara watched as it came slamming down on its back with a ground-shaking *thud*, then turned to face her savior.

"Thanks, Reo-sama!"

Reo shook her head in irritation as she watched Wendigo struggle to right itself. "Just stay out of the way and let us handle this!"

Abraxas opened its beak wide, firing more Zans at the fallen Wendigo. The first one was a direct hit, but the rest were blocked by Wendigo's open palm. The huge demon pushed itself laboriously to its feet under the hail of attacks, inhaling deeply. Abraxas realized what was about to happen and dropped down, hiding as much of itself as it could behind its shield. Sara and Reo scrambled to get clear as Wendigo exhaled. Abraxas braced itself against the gale as ice crept over its shield, the wind threatening to push its defenses off and expose it in full to the freezing attack. Wendigo seemed to realize it had the advantage and pushed it, pouring more icy breath onto Abraxas with even greater force. The rooster-headed demon braced its shield with its other arm as the freezing air swirled around it, tendrils of ice beginning to creep along the ground toward it, inch by inch...

"_HEE-HOOOO!"_

Wendigo looked up in shock as something white shot like a missile from the sky, slamming into its chest with enough force to send the massive demon skidding backwards. The white projectile pushed off hard, disengaging from its mark, bringing a chubby hand up to fix its blue jester's cap as it landed

"JACK FROST!" Sara cheered, ecstatic. "I knew you'd be alright!"

Wendigo fell to one knee, clutching its chest and glaring at Jack Frost. _"Lousy...tiny...!_" It snarled, raising its massive, clawed hand. Then it screamed as its entire body lit up bright neon blue. Gagyson descended from the sky, lashing out with twin whips of electricity and pummeling Wendigo with voltage.

Reo blinked in shock. _'Wha...did...did Gagy-whatsis just THROW Jack Frost at Wendigo?!'_

"Reo-sama!" Sara shouted. "Let's end this: double-whammy on three!"

"Double-_what_?" Reo said incredulously.

"C'mon! That thing's running on fumes! One more double attack from Gagyson and Abraxas'll finish it!"

Reo watched as Wendigo struggled to stand against the surging electricity, then nodded. "Abraxas!" She shouted. Her demon shook off the ice covering its body, raising its branch above its head and generating a stream of swirling air. "Force Da-!"

"Whoa, waitaminute!" Sara crossed her arms in a time-out signal. "Not yet, Reo-sama! We gotta do it on three!"

Reo looked up in confusion. "Why?" Sara shook her head wistfully.

"Because tag-attacks _need_ to be called at the same time!" She said, in a tone that suggested 'one plus one equaled two'. "It's not nearly as cool if you just jump in there in the middle of my attack, we gotta shout it at the same time...!"

The glare this earned her could have stopped a charging rhino. Sara took a step back, amazed at how the simple expression seemed to make the blonde tower over her. "Er...on second thought...maybe this isn't the time to try to be fancy..."

Satisfied, Reo pointed at Wendigo. "Abraxas, Force Dance!"

The rooster-man let fly with a blast of air, mingling with the electricity fired by Gagyson and engulfing Wendigo in a roiling twister that crackled and sparked with lightning. Wendigo had time for one final choked scream before it disintegrated into black smoke.

"Haah...we did it!" Sara paused to catch her breath as their demons disappeared. "That was crazy...thanks for your help back there, Reo-sama..."

Reo didn't hear a word of it. As soon as she saw Wendigo dissolve she had taken off running, dashing as fast as she could to Mai's side.

"Re...o..."

"Don't try to talk!" Reo knelt down beside her girlfriend, uncharacteristically concerned. "Hang on, I'll get Pixie to...!"

"Nngh...I'm fine..." Mai grunted, pushing herself into a seated position with obvious effort. "Just a little sore...whatever that thing did to me made all my muscles seize up...oww..."

"Stupid...!" Reo's voice cracked as she jumped forward, pulling Mai into a tight embrace. "I told you not to scare me, you dummy!"

"I'm alright..." It took a little effort for Mai to move her arms and return the hug: she was still kind of stiff. "Thanks to you...and Sara-san...you two did great..."

Sara beamed. Reo sniffled as Mai pulled away, bracing herself against the ground and struggling to stand. "Come on. We need get off the street-_whoa!_"

"M-Mai!" Reo gasped as Mai stumbled for a second. The black-haired girl shook her head, holding a hand up.

"I'm fine...just...just gimme a minute..._whew_..." She mumbled, stretching her back and working her joints.

"Mai-sama! Reo-sama! Sara-san!"

Sara spun around, squinting down the road. "Nanami-chan! Yuuna-sama! Over here!"

The couple made their way over to them, Nanami wiping the sweat from her brow and trying to catch her breath. "You guys...run too fast..."

"Goodness..." Yuuna stared in shock around the street, eyes taking in the huge holes in the ground and the fresh ice covering everything. "Was there a fight?"

"Yeah...some bear-thing called Wendigo attacked us, and he brought some ghosts called Tenong Cuts as backup." Sara explained.

"Wendigo, hm? And Tenong Cut..." Yuuna nodded solemnly. "I hope none of you are hurt."

"Oh no!" Mai waved her hand breezily as she made her way over to them. "We're just fi-oop!"

"Careful, Mai!" Reo shouted: Mai's leg had nearly given out from under her, and she had almost fallen dead on her face. She caught herself, though, carefully straightening up and continuing her approach.

"Tenong Cut did something to her." Sara explained. "Hit her with these glowy fingers and she just fell over."

Yuuna nodded. "Ghost Wounds, I assume." Noting Sara's confused expression, she pulled out her phone. "I have a Tenong Cut as well. Ghost Wounds is its Race Skill: it paralyzes anything it touches." She explained.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Mai muttered, working the last of her stiffness out of her body. "It's pretty much worn off by now. We should get moving: the clothing store's not too far from here."

* * *

"Ohh..." Nanami let out a soft whimper. "I used to _love _this shop...Yuuna-sama and I were here just before the outbreak, and now...!"

Mai couldn't do much besides shake her head sadly. The clothing store was a nostalgic place for her too, and really much of the Saint Michael's student body in general. It was sobering seeing the familiar place in such condition, dark and empty, its doors smashed in and glass spread out over the floor.

"Come on." Mai said quietly, beckoning the others over the threshold. "Careful, don't slip..."

Stepping gingerly over the glass with a cacophony of crunches, the five girls entered the shop. The inside wasn't quite as bad. A few things had been knocked over, but it was hardly what Mai could call a mess.

"No power." Yuuna muttered, walking over to the light switch and giving it a few flicks. "We'll need to watch where we're going."

"Alright, we have some time to browse, but we can't take _too_ long. We still need to get to that skirmish in time to help the Flock." said Mai. "We're just looking for anything that we can run around in: shorts, tank tops, tennis shoes, things along those lines."

Yuuna chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day where I'd wear shorts outside of PE..." She muttered.

"Well, I _guess_ you could get away with a skirt or something. Oh...but then it'd be flapping everywhere when you're running and showing off your..." Mai shrugged, then shook her head. "T-that's not the point! Just as long as it's something we can run around in without worrying about tripping or getting caught on something."

"Does this place even sell stuff like that?" Nanami sounded kind of skeptical. "It doesn't seem like the place to hold things like tennis shoes..."

"Yep!" Mai said brightly. "They don't have much, but it's a decent selection. As long as they have them in our size, we're good. They're this way if I remember right...come on."

The group moved off to a secluded wall of the store that was lined with shoeboxes. "Lessee...size...ah, here we go!" Mai pulled a box off the shelf and yanked it open. "Oh, yeah, these'll work."

She walked over to a nearby bench, sitting down and pulling off her shoes, taking a second to give them a good, thorough rub before slipping them into the tennis shoes and lacing them up.

Sara looked at them and cringed. "Yikes..._green_, Mai-sama?"

"Doesn't really matter what color, Sara-san, just as long as I can run around in them." Mai said as she stood up, pacing in circles a few times. "Yeah, I think these'll work. Just need to break them in a bit..." She walked off. "I'll look for some tank tops or something. C'mon, Reo."

"Darn it, I don't see anything I like..." Sara mumbled, pushing box number seven back onto the shelf. "Maybe I can find an outfit first and something'll click..."

"You don't need a fancy outfit, Sara-san." Mai shook her head wistfully. "We're just looking for something easy to move in."

"Yeah, _and_ we're gonna be talking to the Flock!" Sara said. "We need to make a good first impression!"

Mai rolled her eyes with a small grin, taking Reo by the hand and walking off. "H-hey!" Sara shouted, running after them. "Wait up!"

"Alright, we'll catch up to you! Ah, these are nice. Try these, Nanami. As for me..." Yuuna handed down a box down to her, turning back to the shelf and looking it over. Nanami opened the box and stared down into its contents.

"I have to admit..." Yuuna pulled a box from the shelf, sitting down on the bench and untying her shoe laces. "This is all rather surreal in its own way. We're in the middle of a full-blown demonic incursion, we're about to help a group of angel-wielding cultists fight the Yakuza...and we're shopping for clothes." She let out a small giggle. "We _are_ incorrigible, aren't we? I suppose some things stay the same no matter the circumstances..."

Nanami sighed, taking a seat next to her girlfriend and pulling the shoes from the box. She didn't try to put them on, though. She just stared at them, _through_ them almost. Yuuna frowned. She had hoped her little joke would lighten the mood a bit, but if anything, Nanami seemed even more somber. Finally, she sighed, then spoke in a small voice. "Onee-sama...?"

"Hm?"

"You think...you think we can go back after all of this?" Nanami whispered. "Can things actually go back to normal after everything that's happened?" Her gaze roved around the dark, dead store, and out the window to the wounded city beyond. She felt Yuuna's hand gently slip into her own.

"Of course it will, Nanami." Yuuna tried to sound as convincing as she could. By Nanami's expression, however, it wasn't working.

"Really? Can I go back to being a student after fighting demons? Are any of my other friends dead, or my Sensei? Will I ever be able to just go shopping with you normally, in a city that hasn't been torn apart? Can it even be rebuilt? It's been just three days...and I barely recognize the city I grew up in...it's all...fallen apart..."

She brought her arm up as her voice cracked, wiping away some tears. Yuuna frowned for a second, then smiled impishly. With a deft motion, she swept Nanami up in her arms.

"G-gah! Onee-sammMURPH?!"

Nanami's protests were silenced as Yuuna fell on top of her. This kiss was one of Yuuna's better ones; long, deep, passionate, and with liberal use of tongue. The warmth from it seemed to permeate every cell in Nanami's body, relaxing her completely and destroying the grim thoughts that had been running through her mind. Finally, Yuuna pulled back, smiling down at her girlfriend. Nanami could do nothing but sit there and gasp for air, her face rapidly approaching the color of her hair. The corners of her mouth turned up in a tipsy smile, and her hand came up to dazedly stroke her own flushed cheek.

"I guess...s-some things don't change...!"

Yuuna giggled. So did Nanami, and before they knew it the two of them had collapsed into a feedback loop of borderline-crazed chuckling. Finally, Nanami managed to compose herself. She gave a contented sigh as she embraced Yuuna, nuzzling into her chest as Yuuna stroked her hair soothingly.

"Don't change, Onee-sama. Please, don't ever change..."

* * *

The two of them stayed in each other's arms for a long while, silently, until they heard Mai, Sara and Reo approaching. They reluctantly released each other as the three girls returned wearing their new clothes. Mai had chosen a plain green t-shirt and cutoff jeans. Reo was wearing a similar outfit to Mai's: a plain white tee and jean shorts. Sara, on the other hand, had opted for something a little more fancy: a pinstriped, double-breasted tee, and the shorts she had picked were adorned with floral patterns. Nanami had to be impressed: for Mai's talk about how they should just grab the first things they saw, the three of them actually wore them rather well.

"So...how do we look?" Sara said, twirling in place for all to see.

"Really good!" Nanami nodded. Sara grinned.

"Aww, thanks, Nanami-chan! I'm actually kind of surprised." She looked down at herself thoughtfully. "I was kind of ambivalent about wearing shorts, but they're actually pretty comfy and easy to wear."

"We got about forty-five minutes before the skirmish on 6-2. It'll be about a half-hour walk from here, so that leaves us fifteen minutes before we have to get moving." Said Mai. Nanami and Yuuna got to their feet.

"We'd better hurry, then. Come on, Nanami-san."

"Yes, Yuuna-sama!" Nanami called, hurrying after her girlfriend to the sportswear section. Mai watched them vanish into the darkness, then hung her head.

"Hmm..."

"Something on your mind, Mai-sama?" Sara asked.

"What happened back there was a real wake-up call." Said Mai. "Kabuso's Agi didn't do anything to that Wendigo, even though it was Wendigo's weakness. And then Tenong Cut took Kabuso out with one punch."

"Wait..." muttered Sara. "Are you saying our demons aren't getting any stronger?"

"Looks like it. Or if they are, it's not by much. And if the types of demons getting into the world are getting stronger, and ours aren't, sooner or later the ones we have will be left behind..."

"Aww...you mean I'm gonna _have_ to get rid of Frosty at some point?" Sara pouted. Mai raised an eyebrow..

"Frosty? Oh, Jack Frost...yeah, if the trend continues, sooner or later he's gonna become ineffective, except maybe for fusion material. Besides that, I doubt those Yakuza have any compunctions about fusing demons. If we want to put up an effective fight against them, we'll need to do the same. Keeping demons that can't measure up around for nostalgic value's just not gonna be realistic. Besides, I think we're approaching this in all the wrong ways." She shrugged, crossing her arms. "We shouldn't be getting _attached_ to the demons. If anything, we need to find out a way to get _rid_ of them all! I mean, they're what's causing all this in the first place, right?"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Reo shook her head. "We're about to risk our lives fighting mobsters, and now you're talking about getting rid of all the demons in the city?! Geez, Mai, one thing at a time!"

"Yeah, you're right." Mai waved her hand. "Sorry, Reo, I was just thinking out loud..."

"We're ba-ack!"

Yuuna strode into view with a sing-song call, Nanami close on her heels. The pink-haired girl looked a little uncomfortable, restlessly shifting to and fro. "I thought you said these things are comfortable, Sara-san..." She looked down at her new pair of shorts with an irritated expression. "They're kind of restrictive..."

Mai looked at her. Prospects chased each other around in her mind as she weighed her options. Tell, or don't tell...she couldn't be sure how Nanami would react. Did she need to say it yet? It could be a blow to her morale. They were going into battle, they needed every advantage. But if Nanami used Kobold and it didn't measure up against their opponents, that could lead to...

'_Just say it, Mai. Say it how it is. She'll need to find out eventually. Okay, here goes..._'

"Nanami-san, I need to talk to you about something." Said Mai. Nanami looked up from her attempts to make her pants more comfortable.

"Yes, Mai-sama?"

"...Okay, listen." Mai shook her head. "Back when I was fighting Wendigo, I tried using Kabuso against it. Its attacks just bounced off, and they were supposed to be effective. Then Tenong Cut wiped it out with a single punch. The demons out there are getting stronger. Ours...I don't think they are."

The conclusion was starting to form in Nanami's mind. "Mai-sama, are you...?"

"Yes." Mai said sadly. "Sooner or later...you're going to have to get rid of Kobold."

Nanami seemed at a loss for words. Mai sighed as the pink-haired girl averted her eyes. "That goes for the rest of us. If we're serious about all this, we need to approach demons as a temporary means to an end. We can't get attached to them: an ideal conclusion to this whole debacle will involve getting rid of them, after all."

"Getting attached to them isn't the problem!"

All eyes were on Nanami, stunned by her uncharacteristic outburst. She herself seemed a little nervous by the surprised gazes on her, but she gathered herself and pressed on.

"I'm not getting attached to my demons! That's ridiculous! They're _demons_! Bloodthirsty monsters! Without our contracts they'd kill us on the spot! They're not our friends! The sooner they're gone, the sooner things can go back to normal, I haven't forgotten that! But..." She hung her head. "But...but they're still living creatures. The idea of taking living creatures and forcefully merging them together to make myself stronger is...! I mean, that's something _they'd_ do!"

She shook her head. "It's not a matter of attachment, Mai-sama...it's just...the idea of me doing that makes me...! I'm scared of what I'll..."

Mai chuckled. "You have a good heart, Nanami-san."

Nanami paused. "H-huh?"

"Hold onto it. Keep those reservations, those doubts about your actions, that human empathy. You'll need them for when things go back to normal. Besides, I don't really see it."

"See it?" Nanami queried.

"Yeah, I don't see you as the kind of person to be changed by power. No, I think you're a good enough person to keep a grasp on your morals, even at times like these."

"R-really?" Nanami blushed a bit.

"I can testify." Yuuna smiled. "You wouldn't be on the Environmental Committee if you were one to abuse your power."

'_Bit of a broken statement there, Onee-sama_..._like you're one to talk about abusing power..._' Thought Nanami. Still, the strange reassurance had succeeded in making her feel a little better. She felt a smile come to her face.

"You're not gonna fall from grace, Nanami-san." said Mai. "If you come close, we'll pull you back."

"Promise?" Said Nanami.

"Of course. Friends look out for each other, right?"

"Friends...mmhm!" Nanami nodded. Mai grinned.

"Alright, we've got a few minutes. I think we have time for a couple of fusions before we have to get moving. So...let's get to work."

* * *

"Gah! Power, NO!"

Brother Ethan, loyal member of the Flock, could only watch as his angel crashed to the ground, vanishing in a flash of light and feathers. He let out a growl, glaring daggers at his opponent. "Tch...damn you!"

The Yakuza member laughed venomously. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Altar Boy! You're a bigger challenge than the average doof Tamer: least you got an idea what the hell you're doing! Gotta say, this actually pretty fun!"

Ethan took a quick glance around the battlefield. Surrounded, outnumbered. They had taken casualties: their numbers had dwindled from fifteen to eight over the course of the battle while the Yakuza had lost only five, dropping to eleven. But his brothers and sisters, locked in combat with the Yakuza, were at the very least holding their own. A tough situation to be sure, but not hopeless. Not so long as they had God on their side...

"Fun..." Ethan clasped his hands in prayer. "I'll show you _fun_, Tamer! Virtue, to my side! Strike Gozuki and Abraxas down with Holy Dance!"

The air above him rippled, glowing with an ethereal light. A crystalline statue of a nude, handsome-faced angel appeared, aqua blue and transparent so that a beating heart in its chest was visible. Its wings spread with a loud metallic screech, and a shower of rainbow-colored energy balls erupted forth, hurtling toward the angel's foes. The rooster-headed Abraxas brought up its shield, and Gozuki, a towering blue humanoid bull wielding an axe jumped back with surprising agility, evading the attacks as they exploded against the ground.

"Useless!" Scoffed the Yakuza. "Gozuki, smash that angel!"

The bull charged with an angry bellow, winding up and swinging the axe with terrifying force. The axe's blade and the angel's wing clashed with a horrible sound. For a second, they clinched, Gozuki struggling to pierce the hard crystal that made up the angel's body. Virtue wasn't about to give it that chance. Flexing its wings, it tossed Gozuki aside. The bull stumbled, failed to keep its balance, and crashed down onto its rear end. A second later, it was on the receiving end of a , point blank barrage of energy.

"Abraxas, Force Dance!"

Abraxas raised its branch, sending Virtue spinning stiffly through the air with a well-placed blast of wind. The angel recovered quickly, but the attack had succeeded in throwing off its assault. The bull stumbled to its feet, shaking its massive horned head.

"Ha! Gonna need more than that to stop me!" crowed the Yakuza. "Gozuki, Abraxas, let's show Altar Boy how to fight!"

Abraxas let out a crow. Gozuki bellowed, hefting its axe and starting toward Virtue. Ethan took a deep breath, ready to order Virtue to attack.

He never got the chance to. Gozuki roared in pain and confusion as a jet of icy air hit it dead in the face. Ethan watched in amazement as the bull was frozen solid.

"Wha...what the hell?!" The Yakuza stumbled back. "Who...?"

Ethan wheeled around, watching in amazement as a white blur shot over his head, burying its fist into the frozen bull. Gozuki smashed to pieces that vaporized into black smoke as they hit the ground. The small white demon dropped to the ground, pumping its fist into the air and letting out a triumphant _"Hee-ho!"_

Ethan wasn't foolish enough to question Providence. "Virtue, Ziodyne!

Virtue's head swiveled to face Abraxas. Its frozen, chiseled face changed: its eyes opened wide, revealing glowing white light, and its expression contorted in a terrifying fanged snarl. Spreading its wings, lightning coursed around its entire body, condensing at its heart and firing with a tremendous clap of thunder. Abraxas raised its shield in vain: the electricity engulfed the demon, vaporizing it in an instant.

The black smoke hadn't even begun to clear as Ethan ran forward, drawing his baton and striking the Yakuza across the face. He snatched the Tamer's phone as the man fell, slinging it to the ground in one smooth motion and snapping it in half. Then he turned in the direction the Jack Frost that had helped him had come from, and the five teenage girls running toward him and bringing out their demons.

"There they are! GET THEM!" Reo screamed.

'_More Tamers...?' _ Ethan's hand tightened on his baton. _'And they're just children...dammit...!_'

But they paid him no heed. They ran right past him. To Ethan's shock, it looked as if the children's intended targets were...!

Reo let out a bloodcurdling war cry as Abraxas and Pixie materialized, throwing themselves at two of the Yakuza. The thugs realized they were under attack by this new foe far too late: the storm of wind and lighting tossed their demons like rag dolls, sending them skidding across the ground in a heap. Sara was next into the fray, Jack Frost freezing a demon solid for Gagyson to smash with a single kick.

Ethan couldn't begin to explain just where these girls had come from, or why they were attacking the Yakuza. Drunk on the power of their Summoning Programs, perhaps? It didn't matter in the end. One way or another, indulging the Yakuza's ambush was a waste of time: they had bigger things to worry about, and these children had given them a perfect opening.

Dismissing Virtue, he turned to his comrades, shouting an order. He used English: didn't need the Tamers getting any ideas. Sister Colette didn't like his idea, though, starting to protest. A bleeding heart, as she always had been. There was no time to argue, though. Ethan wasn't about to jeopardize the mission, least of all over a few Tamers, children though they may have been.

Another shout, with as much finality he could muster, and Colette caved. Hanging her head, she and Brother Chick dismissed their angels, pushed their way through a weakness in the Yakuza's ranks, and took off running alongside Ethan, the rest of their comrades close behind.

Mai's eyes went wide as she watched the Flock run past the shaken Yakuza, the realization sinking in. "Oh no!"

"Hey...wha-buh-_huh_?! No, wait! WAIT, COME BACK!" Sara shouted after the fleeing Flock members. "You're not supposed to run, we're here to help! Hey! HEY! Don't leave us here...with...aw, _shoot_."

The initial shock of Reo and Sara's ambush had worn off, and the Yakuza were regrouping quickly, summoning demons to take the place of any that had been lost. Reo let out a yelp as a red doglike demon lunged for Pixie, the fairy just managing to swoop out of the way of its snapping jaws.

A bulky rock golem covered in moss charged forward, swinging its arms against Abraxas' shield with bone-rattling force and sending the rooster-demon staggering backwards. Reo swore under her breath as she stumbled backward, retreating to a safe distance. Mai stepped forward instinctively, blocking Reo from view as the opposing forces sized each other up.

"They ditched us! Left us to twist in the wind, I-I can't believe they used us to escape!" Sara's tone was equal parts anger and fear. Mai couldn't exactly blame her, feeling much the same herself. In the space of about five seconds, their plan had completely collapsed, and the position they were in was quickly starting to look _extremely_ grim.

"You...so...you bitches have a death wish,is that it? _HUH?!_" One of the Yakuza seethed. "Who do you think you are?! Buncha stupid kids...do you have any idea who you're fucking with?! Garm, KILL!"

The red dog charged forward, barking furiously. Sara shouted to her demon, and Jack Frost raised its hands, spewing out a Bufu from its palms. Garm reacted with lightning reflexes, leaping clean over the blast as it froze a patch of pavement solid and responding with a stream of flames.

"Whoa...WHOA!" Mai shouted. "Move it!"

The girls and their demons scattered in all directions as the flames exploded against the ground, Garm itself landing a second later, snarling after them.

"Take 'em!" Shouted a bald Yakuza member who seemed to be leading the group. "Let's nab their cells and get after the Flock!"

"Tch...everyone, on guard!" Mai shouted, raising her phone.

Yuuna looked nervous as she surveyed their foes. "Oh dear...nine on five, and those demons look strong...Mai-san, any ideas?"

"I don't know...I didn't expect the Flock to cut and run..." Mai hadn't taken their eyes off the Yakuza she was facing. The men were taking their time for some reason: perhaps they were finding a sort of pleasure in watching his prey squirm. "Let's just take this one step at a time: take them out one by one and hope for the best...alright, here goes! Makara, Tam Lin!"

The deer-fish appeared, alongside the newest addition to Mai's army. Tam Lin was, by all accounts, human in appearance. A human man, with a handsome face framed by white hair that flowed just past his shoulders. He was clad in teal plate armor and a cape that reached the ground. A spear was clenched in his hands, and he raised it as he looked back at his master.

"_Wouldst thou have me fight these ruffians, Milady? 'Twould seem a waste of my talents."_ He scoffed.

"I wish I shared your enthusiasm." Mai muttered. Tam Lin was smiling as he watched two Yakuza approach. Mai looked down at herself, chuckling nervously. "Heh...heheh...oh man, my legs are shaking..."

"_Screw thy courage to the sticking place! These common dogs know not who they deal with!" _Tam Lin boomed._ "By my honor as Faerie Knight of Caterhaugh, no harm shall come to thee! But command me as thou seest fit, and we SHALL know victory!"_

Mai gave him a reassuring nod. '_Right...'_ She thought. '_Let's do this...'Kabuso'...''_

* * *

"C-come on, you two, we can do this!"

Trying to cheer on her demons wasn't easy when her voice was trembling so bad, but Sara managed to keep her courage up enough to glare right into her enemy's eyes. "Y-you smashed that bull, and then that statue-angel-thing blasted Abraxas with one shot! These...these guys are all talk! Yeah! A-all talk! So there!"

Her insults didn't sit well with her foe. He ordered his Ogun forward, the masked demon letting out a battle cry as it swung and whirled its spear furiously. Gagyson just barely managed to stay out of reach, the spear clipping it a few times before it could get into a good enough position to charge a Zio in its palm.

Ogun was fast, though, shooting a hand out and grabbing Gagyson's wrist; the lightning went wide and exploded against a nearby building. A second later, Gagyson was sent sprawling by a head-butt delivered to its forehead. The pink demon luckily had enough wherewithal to heed its master's frantic warning, and rolled out of the way of Ogun's spear as it plunged into the pavement where its head had been seconds before. Gagyson staggered back into the air, massaging its cranium.

Sara wiped the sweat from her brow with a shaky hand. "Okay...okay, um, Jack Frost, get in there! Ice Dance!"

Jack Frost jumped forward, slinging waves of ice with swings of its pudgy arms and legs. Sara grinned as the Ice Dance hurtled toward Ogun, who was struggling to extricate its spear from the ground.

'_It's over! Ogun's weak to ice...!'_

"That's your cue, Kumbhanda!"

At the Yakuza's command, something erupted from his phone; a towering demon that blocked the waves of ice with its own body. The freezing wind did nothing to it, and was simply absorbed harmlessly.

"Now, use Ghost Wounds!" The Yakuza shouted.

The demon raised a weapon clutched in its hand: a crescent-shaped blade that crackled with dark energy. Winding up, the demon tossed it like a boomerang.

"Jack, look out!" Sara shouted.

But the boomerang missed entirely. Jack didn't even need to move as the weapon whirled clean around it. For a horrible moment, Sara thought it was coming for her, and braced herself to dodge. But the boomerang spun back around her as well, looping back toward Jack and again missing entirely before turning again in the air and spinning back towards them.

Almost as if it had a mind of its own, the weapon whirled in circles around Sara and Jack, glowing with dark power. Faster and faster until, with a pulse of energy, a ring of shadows converged on them. As soon as it touched her, every muscle in Sara's body went rigid, and she collapsed to the ground unable to move. Jack fell to one knee as the boomerang returned to its owner. The demon snatched it deftly out of the air, staring down at Sara. The Yakuza smirked.

"Gotcha, kiddo. Kumbhanda, kill!"

Sara could do nothing but brace herself as it raised its blade and tossed it right at her...

"Sara-san! Sarasvati, help her!"

At Yuuna's command, her new demon leapt into action, a beautiful maiden dressed in green and gold holding a veena. The stringed musical instrument in question was brought back and swung like a baseball bat, sending the bladed boomerang spinning harmlessly away with a metallic clang. Kumbhanda stretched out a bony hand, the boomerang stopping dead in midair and zooming faithfully toward him.

Sarasvati wasn't about to let him catch it: returning the veena to a playing position, she strummed it once. The simple action caused a Zio to explode from its strings, blasting Kumbhanda clean off its feet. Yuuna rushed to Sara's side, looking back nervously at Ogun. Her demon seemed to be holding his own against two separate Tamers: Yuuna could spare just enough time to have Sarasvati get Sara back in the game.

"Sara-san, are you alright? Hang on, I'll have you fixed up! Oh, I hope this works...activate Race Skill: Affection!"

Sarasvati plucked the strings of her instrument again, this time bringing forth a stream of light blue energy that surrounded the frozen Sara. It took effect instantly.

"WHOA!" Sara jumped to her feet. "Thanks, Yuuna-sama!"

Yuuna spared enough time for a nod and a smile before she and Sarasvati rushed back to their own fight. Sara took a breath to steady herself, then turned to glare at Kumbhanda as it got up, nursing the scorched spot on its torso where the lightning had struck.

The brunette was finally able to get a good look at the demon, and failed to suppress a cry of revulsion.

At least nine feet tall, Kumbhanda's body was completely emaciated, a caped, humanoid skeleton covered with a thin layer of greenish skin. It had a horse's head, and its lips were pulled back in a snarling rictus. A bowl-shaped hat lined with tassels was perched on a mane of wild red hair.

Narrowing its glowing yellow eyes at Jack Frost, Kumbhanda let out a distinctly whinny-like chuckle as it gathered a ball of fire in its bony hand.

"Gagyson, protect Jack!"

Gagyson dove in the way as Kumbhanda cast the Agi, crying out in pain as the fireball exploded against its arm. Sara cringed. "Oh no, Gagyson! Jack, use Fairy Dust!"

The snowman obliged, summoning a cloud of shimmering white dust. Gagyson got back in the air as the burn on its arm vanished without a trace, Jack Frost taking point next to it as they stared down their foes. Kumbanda generated another Agi and Ogun, who had by now extracted its spear from the ground, twirled it expertly over its head and leveled it at Jack and Gagyson. The Yakuza chuckled darkly.

"What's that you were saying about "all talk", kid? Maybe that'll teach a pup like you to bark at the wolves, huh?!"

Sara clenched her fists, trying to keep her face as clean of the fear thundering through her as she could. She forced a confident smile on her face "D-don't give up, you two! He just got lucky! Now let's show this guy what we can really do!" Gagyson and Jack Frost took off for their foes, charging up lightning and ice. The Yakuza shook his head.

"Ya don't know when to quit...fine by me!" He muttered. "Let's take 'em down!" Kumbhanda and Ogun raised their weapons, barreling forward to meet Sara's demons.

* * *

This wasn't going to be easy.

On one hand, Tam Lim was strong, exceptionally so. Wielding the fire and wind spells he had inherited from Kabuso as adeptly as he did his spear, and teleporting from place to place with its Race Skill Phantasma, he had cut down three demons already, even outnumbered two to one. Makara was acting as a fantastic supporter, making good use of Dia to keep Tam Lim healthy and Zan to keep its opponents on their toes.

But any demons Mai defeated were quickly replaced, much to her chagrin. A quick glance around the battlefield revealed much the same situation with all of her friends. Reo in particular was faring extremely well: faced with the men who had denied her precious junk food, the sheer, unhinged ferocity she was displaying actually seemed to actually be intimidating them. It was likely the Yakuza hadn't expected a petite, doll-like highschool girl with long blonde hair could be so terrifying: Mai almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

But even as Abraxas and Pixie killed three demons in rapid succession, the two Yakuza she was up against quickly summoned new ones.

It made sense, Mai realized; if the Yakuza was actively hunting Tamers in order to take their cell phones, that would naturally mean more Macca, and thus the ability to buy more demons.

'_I guess that means we have to take down every one of them in order to win...oh man...'_

Tam Lim lunged, driving his spear under the jaw of a Yakuza's Wendigo as it came bearing down on him. _"AGI!"_ The knight barked, and Wendigo's head erupted in a fiery explosion.

"Urgh...brutal..." Mai cringed as Wendigo's headless body crumpled, disintegrating as it fell. Again, the defeat of the demon did little to deter its owner, and another one appeared in a flash of light: Ictinike, a winged humanoid creature adorned in war paint, wearing a bird-skull headdress and a loincloth. This new creature took its place alongside its three allies: there was Ubelluris, the lumbering, moss-covered golem made of rock. Despite its appearances, it was as agile as an ape, loping easily across the ground and throwing bone-crushing punches that had Tam Lim seeing stars.

The other Yakuza had Mahakala, a towering blue humanoid with four faces, clad in crimson armor and wielding a broadsword in each of its six hands, and Bai Suzhen, a tall woman with long white hair dressed in an ornate, flowing white kimono.

"Get 'em Ictinike! Elec Dance! Ubelluris, Berserk!"

"You too, Mahakala!" shouted his partner. "Use your Awakening Race Skill, then follow up with Zio! Bai Suzhen, Bufu!"

Ictinike yanked a sword from his waist, the blade crackling with lightning as it lashed out, the electricity snapping like a whip just inches from Tam Lim as the knight danced around it. Mahakala focused deeply, glowing with yellow energy, before bringing its swords forward, a huge blast of lightning erupting from the blades, the maiden following suit with a blast of ice from her hands. Tam Lim managed to dodge the ice, and intercept the electricity with a blast of wind: the attacks exploded with the sound and force of a small bomb, the concussion tossing concrete in all directions. Tam Lim was forced to swat a rather large chunk away, giving Ubelluris an opening to charge forward and drive a fist into his chest.

"Tam Lim!" Mai shouted, watching helplessly as her demon tumbled pell-mell across the ground, skidding to a painful halt. Bai Suzhen glided forward, blasting the fallen knight with a Bufu and freezing him up to his neck to the ground. Tam Lim's eyes went wide as he struggled and strained against the ice, and it was cracking. But it wouldn't be fast enough: Ubelluris was already on top of him, raising its massive fists.

_*CRUNCH!*_

Tam Lim let out a scream as Ubelluris smashed its fists down on the ice, shattering it. Through sheer luck, Tam Lim's body remained intact. But the pain he was in was in was evident as he rolled over onto his side, clutching his stomach and gasping for air. Ubelluris raised its fists for the finishing blow.

"No you don't!" Mai shouted, Makara firing a Zan into the Golem's face and knocking it backwards. "Tam Lim, are you alright?"

Tam Lim got to his feet as the healing power of Makara's Dia washed over him. _"Merely winded, Milady...merely winded. But this lout will not strike me ever again!" _Twirling his spear, Tam Lim launched a Zan from its tip, the ball of air smashing into Ubelluris' face as it tried to stand, knocking it flat on its back.

Dashing forward, Tam Lim leaped into the air, driving his spear into the golem's stone body. Ubelluris gave a low, rumbling groan, then collapsed into black smoke. Tam Lim paused to catch his breath, watching as one of the Yakuza gave an annoyed grunt, raising his phone and summoning a Tenong Cut. _"A thousand curses, they just keep coming!_"

"You can handle them, right?" Mai said nervously. "As long as I keep dropping Dias on your injuries, you can keep fighting!" Tam Lim shook his head.

"_Not forever. Healing magic recovers my physical wounds, true...but though I am loathe to admit it, even a warrior such as myself becomes fatigued..."_

One of the Yakuza laughed. "Yeah, that's right! You're runnin' outta gas, little man! Get ready for another salvo!" He crowed as Mahakala charged up lightning and Bai Suzhen generated ice. "Think Rusty the Tin-Can Man can shake off another one, kid?!"

Mai clenched her fists as Ictinike raised his sword, charging up another Elec Dance. Tenong Cut brought its hands together, generating a Zan. Tam Lim looked over his shoulder, giving Mai a reassuring smile.

"_To death, Milady. I will let no harm come to thee, so long as I draw breath. So sayeth Tam Lim, Faerie Knight of Caterhaugh!"_ With a bloodcurdling roar, Tam Lim dove forward, spear raised, right at his waiting foes. The Yakuza's demons readied their attacks, preparing to fire at the charging knight.

All at once, they erupted in a massive explosion. Demons were thrown in every direction by the force of the blast, Bai Suzhen shrieking as she vanished into smoke,

Tam Lim stumbled to a halt, lowering his spear and staring into the cloud of dust in utmost confusion. _"What in.._."

"Look!" Nanami shrieked. "Look up! We're saved! Oh my god, we're SAVED!"

Mai craned her neck, hardly daring to believe it. But there they were: angels, two red-armored Powers and a robed Dominion, descending to the battlefield and raining rainbow-colored blasts of energy down on the Yakuza's demons. Their masters, three of them, were running onto the battlefield from the direction they had left.

"They're back! They came back for us!" Tears of joy were streaming down Nanami's face. "We...we can win this...COME ON, MOH SHVUU!"

The tables had completely turned. Nanami's joy, her adrenaline, the sheer energy she felt was utterly infectious, reinvigorating her friends and their demons. The Yakuza could do little but watch as their demons were struck down left and right, leaving them completely vulnerable to the Flock: baton strikes to the head knocked them out cold, their phones taken and smashed. It was over in a flash. The last of the Yakuza crumpled to the ground, clutching his head as the Flock Member snatched his phone, wound up and threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

Nanami breathed a huge sigh of relief as she saw the last of the Yakuza fall, returning Moh Shvuu and Nekomata to her phone. "Thank you!" She said breathlessly, hurrying forward to greet their saviors. "Thank you! A hundred times, thank you for coming back for us!"

The Flock Members said nothing. Their hidden, hooded faces were all turned toward the girls. They hadn't put their batons away, or dismissed their angels, and the winged, divine beings were watching the group sternly. It was starting to make Nanami extremely uncomfortable, and she felt the smile start to melt from her face.

"Reo, don't!" Mai hissed, noticing just in time that her girlfriend was starting to raise her phone. "They're just being careful. I...I think they're willing to talk. Yuuna-san, you're up."

Yuuna nodded, taking a cautious step toward the Flock. Nanami's hand shot out, taking Yuuna's tightly. "Be careful..." The pink-haired girl whispered. Yuuna nodded, reluctantly pulling away and taking a deep breath.

But it was a member of the Flock who spoke first.

"Is everyone alright?" The voice that came from beneath the hood was that of a woman, young adult by the tone, and it held a note of genuine concern. Yuuna nodded.

"Yes, we're fine. Thank you for coming back for us."

"Ah, good." The Flock Member reached up, pulling her hood down. Indeed it was a young woman, with a flushed, tired face, framed by mousy brown hair in twin ponytails draped over her shoulders. "Now..." She cocked her head, sizing the girls up. "I guess the big question in all this is: 'what exactly are you all doing here?'

"We came to help you out. We were hoping we could help take back the supermarket and get food back into the park." Yuuna explained. The Flock Member pondered this blunt answer for a moment, looking Yuuna over as if trying to find a 'tell' that the blonde was lying. At last, though, she turned, gesturing to her allies and saying something. The hooded men hesitated for a moment, then nodded as their angels faded away.

"Figured it was something like that." The woman turned back to Yuuna. "You wouldn't jump into the middle of a fight like that unless you were willing to pick a side."

"So you believe us?" Nanami gasped. The woman chuckled.

"I can't say I exactly condone your use of the Demon Summoning Program." She said. "But you know what they say about desperate times and desperate measures. A group of hungry kids, willing to use this new power to get food back from the Yakuza...yeah, I can buy that. At the very least, I'm not about to just walk away." She moved confidently to Yuuna, extending her hand. "Oh, where are my manners...my name is Colette. Sister Colette Phillips, at your service."

"Yuuna Matsubara." The blonde said, accepting the handshake with a smile, then gesturing to the others. "And my friends. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So...so that's it?" Nanami said, disbelieving. "You're gonna let us help you? Just like that, even though we're Tamers?"

"Well...no." Colette shook her head. "Er...not yet, anyway, not officially. I mean, that'd be a huge decision on our part and I don't have the authority to make it. It'd probably go all the way to the Father. It's worth looking into, though: I hate to have to say it, but..." She bit her lower lip. "Well, to be honest...we're not doing so good. Getting outside help may actually be our best option by this point."

"Wait...you mean...are you saying the Flock's losing?" Mai asked hesitantly. Colette sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't say we're 'losing', exactly...look, explaining the logistics about what's going on is going to take a while. But right now, we're close to getting our food back, and my brothers will need all the help they can get." She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Here's what we'll do. I'm gonna head back to my brothers, I need to help them take back the Supermarket. After that, we'll escort you all back to the park, and I can talk to the Father about employing your help. That sound good?"

Yuuna turned around. "Well?"

"I'm on board with it." Mai and Nanami nodded, Sara flashing a thumbs-up. Yuuna turned back to Colette, nodding.

"Good. Follow me." She gestured to her comrades. "Flock, move out!"

But as the group turned to head down the road, a group of people dressed came walking in the opposite direction toward them: five white-clad Flock members, moving at a brisk pace. Colette motioned for Mai and her friends to stay back. "I'll handle this." She stepped forward to meet her comrades.

Judging by the reaction of one of them, however, he was in no mood for a calm conversation. He was in Colette's face in two quick strides, snarling at her in a language Mai and her friends didn't understand. Colette took it in stride, speaking calmly with an impassive expression. This almost seemed to make the man angrier: he ripped the hood off his head, revealing a bald, heavyset man, practically crimson with anger. He practically jabbed Colette in the eye as he shook a finger in her face, his voice rising to a furious yell. Mai felt herself tensing up to run.

But then Colette said something, so soft that Mai couldn't catch it, even if she could understand her language. But whatever it was seemed to defuse the raging Flock Member: he took a deep breath to shout again, then paused. Colette said something else, in that same calm tone. The man said nothing for a moment, and then lowered his finger with an angry shake of his head, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Satisfied that her comrade was no longer blinded by rage, Colette continued her conversation, the two going back and forth in that same language. Mai had absolutely no idea what was being said, but going by the slow progression of emotion on Colette's face, it wasn't good. She looked confused at first, then completely stunned by what she was hearing. Then she kicked at the ground, spitting what was unmistakably a curse word.

"What? What happened?" Mai asked nervously. Colette turned to face her, scowling.

"The Yakuza's moved the food somewhere." She explained. "Took all the nonperishables and cut the power so the frozen stuff would go bad. Don't know how they pulled it off, but the supermarket's completely empty. Guess we shoulda figured they'd try something along those lines: wouldn't make much sense to hold the food in one place if we know where it is, we'd just keep attacking it..."

Reo fell silently to her knees as Nanami clapped her hands over her mouth. "Wha-the food's gone?!" Mai gasped. "So what do we do?"

"_You'll_ do nothing, Demon Tamer...!" the heavyset Flock Member began as he rounded on Mai, then cut his sentence off as Colette shot him a glare, and he backed down, still fuming and glaring daggers at Mai and her friends. Colette turned to the girls, gesturing them to follow.

"Don't you worry. We're not about to give up. Come on...we're heading back."

* * *

"So...you think she can talk 'em into it?"

Mai didn't exactly have an answer to Sara's question, and just shrugged. She wasn't paying much attention to anything besides Reo, anyway. The blonde hadn't said anything since they had gotten back into the park. She wasn't crying. She didn't even look angry, or for that matter, any emotion in particular. She had no reaction to the strokes of her hair or the gentle, reassuring squeezes of her hand Mai gave her. Reo was, for all intents and purposes, completely comatose, staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular. It looked to Mai like this latest setback to obtaining food had completely broken her.

Dusk had fallen by the time they made it back to the park. Colette had lead them all to a large green military tent, telling them to wait outside before heading in. The group had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, and there was still no sign of her.

Mai let out a sigh as she pulled Reo close, leaning back against the bench and staring down blankly at the phone in her hand. Hungry, tired, sore all over from running, worried for Reo, nervous as to how Colette was faring trying to convince this "Father" to let them help, apprehensive as to whether they could help at all...

She felt sick, literally sick to her stomach. It had been unarguably the worst day of her life.

The rustle of fabric caught the girls' attention. Colette was exiting the tent. "C'mon!" She gestured eagerly to them. "C'mon in, the Father wants to talk to you all!"

She was smiling, quite broadly in fact...Mai felt a flicker of hope as she helped Reo to stand, following Sara, Yuuna and Nanami into the tent. The structure, for all its size, was actually quite sparsely populated, with only three people besides Colette and themselves. Two of them were hooded members of the Flock, who stood near the end of a long table, on either side of a third man seated at the far end of it.

Unlike the other members of the Flock, the man sitting at the table was not wearing a hoodie. It was an older man, with a sharp, wrinkled face. He was dressed instead in a black gown, with a white scarf draped over his shoulders. He wore a wide-brimmed hat on a head of thinning gray hair, and his eyes were obscured by a pair of small, round opaque sunglasses. The old man surveyed the group as they approached, pointing a gnarled finger at them.

"Them, hm?"

Colette nodded and bowed. "Yes, Father."

"Excellent. Thank you, Colette." The old man braced himself against the table, groaning as he pushed himself laboriously to his feet. He approached the group, his surprisingly tall frame towering over them as his hidden eyes looked them over. Then he nodded and began to speak.

"My name is Father Archibald Phillips, Grandmaster of the Flock." His voice belied his old, withered appearance: it could be only be described as _powerful_, so deep and booming that Nanami actually started a bit, and carrying an undeniable force of authority behind it. He smiled as Yuuna took his extended hand, shaking it. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"The pleasure is mine, Phillips-san. My name is Yuuna Matsubara. " Yuuna nodded, trying not to break her gaze from the twin reflections of herself in Phillips' reflective sunglasses. The effect was rather unnerving, to tell the truth, but looking away would be downright rude...finally, she found a way, turning to indicate each of her friends in turn. "And these are my friends."

"Charmed." Phillips bowed slightly. "Come, sit down. Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, water? Perhaps I can give you some cereal? We don't have much..."

"YES!"

Mai jumped as Reo shot past her like a bullet, practically diving into to a seat at the table. "Tea! I want tea! Make it really sweet! And cereal! I'm STARVING!"

Her request was followed by dead silence and eight stunned expressions.

"Reo, jeez!" On one hand, Mai was thoroughly relieved that Reo was no longer in shock. On the other hand, her outburst wasn't exactly what they needed to make a good first impression.

"No, it's quite alright...we're all on edge here, after everything that's happened." Phillips chuckled grimly as he sat down again at the table, gesturing to the girls to follow suit. "Of course, Colette told me that you want to help us do something about it, is that correct?"

"That's right. I just want things back to normal, Phillips-san." Nanami said as she and her friends sat down around the table. "As soon as the demons are gone, I'll gladly give up the Summoning Program for good." Phillips smiled, nodding in satisfaction.

"We share a common goal, then." He leaned out over the table, resting his elbows on its surface and steepling his fingers. "Tamers you may be, but I think we may just be able to work something out in terms of cooperation. Now...again, does anyone want anything to drink? Water, or coffee? It's likely we'll be here for a while"

"Water's fine, Phillips-san, thank you." Said Mai.

"Same here." said Sara, accompanied by murmurs of agreement from Nanami and Yuuna.

"Some coffee would be nice, Father, thank you. Decaf, if we have any." Colette piped up.

Phillips nodded. "So four waters, a tea, and a box of cereal. Two decaf coffees, as well..." He turned to the man on his left. "Brother Jeremiah, if you would be so kind. And Brother Jacob, please find Brother Chick and Brother Ethan and bring them here." His expression darkened. "They are not returning my summons."

"Brother Ethan didn't take the idea of working with Tamers too well..." Colette crossed her arms. "He and Brother Chick are probably off fuming somewhere..."

"Perhaps..." Phillips frowned.

The two hooded Flock members bowed, stepping around the table and leaving the tent.

"Now..." Phillips leaned back in his chair. "We should wait for my other Lieutenants to arrive before we start talking about the logistics of our cooperation. Until then, I have a few questions to ask you, and I can assume you have some you wish to ask me as well. Let us get those out of the way to begin with, shall we?"

"Fair enough." Mai nodded. "I guess the big thing all of us are wondering is how all of this started...why did the demons show up here, and why now?"

"Excellent question, Miss..."

"Mai. Mai Sawaguchi."

"Sawaguchi-san, then..." Phillips nodded, drumming his fingers rhythmically on the table. "To tell you the truth, we don't exactly know why now and why here. We do, however, know _how_ it happened." He leaned forward, steepling his fingers again. "The same way it has since the very first time it happened: a magic ritual."

"A magic...ritual?" Sara said skeptically. Colette nodded.

"Yep: a magic ritual, used to summon demons from the Demon Realm into our world, performed by a human who wanted power. By performing this ritual, and then beating whatever was summoned in battle, the summoner contracted with them, and the thing would obey them without question. If the demon killed them, however, it would gain its freedom, and would perform rituals of its own to allow its friends into our world."

Phillips sat back again with a weary sigh. "Precisely. And there you go: before you know it, you're dealing with a demon outbreak...ah, thank you, Brother Jeremiah..." Phillips reached out, accepting a mug of steaming coffee from the hooded Flock Member.

The man continued around the table, handing out a second mug of coffee to Colette, and water to Mai, Nanami, Yuuna and Sara. Reo's eyes brimmed with tears of joy at the sight of the warm mug of tea and fun-size box of cereal laid in front of her, reaching out to claim them, but Phillips held up a hand.

"Ah ah...before we begin..." He bowed his head. Colette did too. Nanami caught on and followed suit. Mai, Reo, Yuuna and Sara were left looking slightly confused as Phillips began to speak in a solemn tone.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Mai looked down at the table. Saying grace, huh? A glass of water could hardly be considered a meal. Still, she shrugged and clapped her hands together. "Itadakimasu..."

"Itadakimasu!" Reo had pounced on the box of cereal as soon as the last word left Phillip's mouth, tearing the cardboard open and swallowing a massive gulp of its contents. Then she chased it down with a huge swig of tea, coming to regret it almost instantly: she let out a squeak of pain as her hand shot to her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes, cringing as the beverage scalded her mouth and throat. Mai was quick to her side with a comforting hug and a drink from her glass of water. Reo accepted both silently.

"The outbreak here was started in much the same way." Phillips continued, lifting the steaming mug in front of him and breathing deep of its scent. With a satisfied sigh, he blew on it gently, then sipped it slowly. "A magic ritual...in the form of the Demon Summoning Program."

Sara choked on her water. "Wait..._what_?" She managed to say after she got her coughing under control. "They can _do_ that?!"

Phillips chuckled wryly, sipping more of his coffee. "I know it's hard to believe. I could scarcely comprehend the idea myself. But that's precisely what it is: somehow, the creator of this Demon Summoning Program managed to replicate all of the necessary steps to perform a summoning ritual, the incantations and the like, and configure it into the form of a computer program."

"That's...insane..." Sara murmured, bowing her head as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept. Mai bit her bottom lip, cursing inwardly.

Reo was right: she really was an idiot. The connection between the Summoning Program and the outbreak itself seemed so _obvious_ now.

No wonder their demons had chased them so far in their attempts to kill them back when their programs first activated. She hadn't been paying much attention, as she had shifted between crazed fear for her life and sheer joy at being alive back during that first battle, but they had said it outright: '_If we kill you, we will have our freedom_'. And once they had been beaten, they contracted, bound to obey.

It had happened all over the city, then: the Summoning Program had forced its way onto the phones of hapless individuals, activating on its own and summoning a demon right in front of them. If the individual defeated the demon, they became a Tamer. If not, they had been killed, their phone had been taken, and used to create one of those miasmas: a portal from which their fellow demons could enter the human world.

Of course, none of this explained the Flock's connection to all of this...why THEY had the Summoning Program...if anything, it...

"A program that forces its way onto your phone, and summons a demon that tries to kill you..." Sara said, shaking her head with a nervous giggle. "That's one heck of a virus...!"

"And whoever created it is the mastermind behind this whole thing!" Nanami realized, her eyes going wide. "...oh my god..._Cypher_! Cypher's the one behind the outbreak!"

"'Cypher'?" Phillips jumped to his feet, Nanami withering as his hidden eyes burned into her and his voice boomed around the tent. "You know who's behind this? Is that some sort of an alias? Have you been in contact with him?! Please, tell me what you know, quickly!"

"I...um...uh...!" Nanami stammered, fumbling with her phone as she shrank back into her chair.

"Father, please!" Colette said quickly. Phillips caught himself and sat back down, trying to control his breathing.

"You're right...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...it's just, this could be the break we've been waiting for. So please, when you're ready...tell us everything. What do you know about this...'Cypher'?"

Nanami took a few deep breaths to steady her racing heart, then looked over to Yuuna. Her girlfriend gave her a reassuring nod, and she got to her feet, walking over to Phillips and placing her phone on the table in front of him.

"Well, we have no idea who he is, besides his name and the fact he made the Summoning Program. We haven't even been in real contact with him. But ever since we contracted with our demons, he's been sending us messages and updates to the Summoning Program." She explained as Phillips picked up the cell phone, silently mouthing the message on the screen.

"We all get the exact same messages, word for word." clarified Mai. "I think every Tamer's getting them, it's not like Cypher's in contact with us specifically."

"I see..." mused Phillips as he handed the phone back to Nanami, and she returned to her seat. "And these...updates. Could you perhaps elaborate?"

Sara ticked them off on her fingers. "Well, there's the Devil Auction. We use this stuff called Macca to buy demons, and that's how we get new ones. There's the Cathedral of Shadows, we can fuse demons together to make new ones..."

"And of course, there's the Mortician's List." finished Mai. "It tells the future: when and where someone is going to die, so you can get there first and save them!"

"I see..." Phillips drained the last of his coffee.

"Yeah, it's really useful!" Sara continued. "It makes finding survivors really easy: I'd probably be dead by now if my friends didn't know where to look for me!"

Phillips let out a booming laugh. "Yes, I'd imagine it would! I hate to admit it, but my Flock could very well use something like that...!"

"What, you..." said Mai, leaning slightly closer. "You don't have the Mortician's List?" Phillips laughed again, leaning back in his chair and throwing up his hands.

"Of course not! We don't exactly use the Demon Summoning Program, Sawaguchi-san!"

And there it was. The million-dollar response. For an instant, only an instant, Yuuna could see a strange expression flicker across Mai's face, a mixture of horror, stunned amazement, and grim triumph. Then it was gone, and she was shaking her head with a self-mocking smile. "Oh, right...jeez, I need some _sleep_..."

It almost seemed for a tense moment that Phillips' expression hardened behind his glasses as he looked at Mai. But then Nanami caught his attention.

"Yeah, I was actually wondering how you summon your angels, Phillips-san!" She asked. "Maybe you could teach us how to do it, and then we don't have to use the Summoning Program anymore!"

"An admirable suggestion..." Phillips shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's not feasible. Unlike you, we do not use machines to summon angels. Rather, they are bound to our very souls upon completion of our training, by the hand of God Himself."

"Wow..." Nanami whispered.

"Indeed. In doing so, we obtain the physical and mental fortitude to battle demons hand-to-hand, should the situation call for it."

"I see...kind of like the Harmonizer." Nanami nodded. Phillips raised an eyebrow.

"Harmonizer?"

"It's just like you said." explained Sara. "It's a part of our Summoning Program that makes it so that demons can't hurt us so bad with their attacks, if we wanted to fight one dead-on."

"Ah..." Phillips nodded. "Unfortunately, our training takes months. We simply don't have the time or resources to bring you all into the fold. I would if I could, believe me..."

"Oh..." Nanami realized. "That's what Colette-san meant...you don't need any real training to be a Tamer, you just need the Summoning Program. But you can't replace fallen Flock members as easily, right?"

Phillips nodded. "Precisely."

"I see..." Nanami hung her head. "Oh well...it was worth asking, at least. I mean, I use demons, but they still make me uncomfortable. I'd rather use angels..."

Phillips chuckled. "Tell me...what is your name, child?"

"Nanami. Nanami Oda."

"Oda-san, then. For what it's worth, Oda-san, I think you would make a fantastic member of our Flock."

Nanami's face lit up like a freshly-changed light bulb. "R-really? You really think so?" Phillips nodded. Nanami averted her eyes, beaming as her mind wandered to a lovely daydream of herself dressed in the white hooded uniform of the Flock, battling a horde of demons with a radiant angel that had the face of her beloved Onee-sama...

"Back on the topic of Cypher, Father, I find it a little strange, now that I think about it." mused Colette.

"Strange? How do you mean?"

"He's responsible for all of this, right? Well, if he's the one who let the demons into the city, why is he giving out upgrades to people to help the fight? The Auction, the Cathedral, the List, the Harmonizer...why help people survive his own outbreak? What is he playing at?"

Phillips thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I...couldn't begin to tell you. The sad truth is, barring his alias and his relation to the Summoning Program, we know nothing about him...his identity, his motives..."

"I'm sorry..."

Phillips looked over in surprise at Sara, who had a wry expression on her face. "Sorry? Whatever for?"

"I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help." Sara sighed, shrugging. "All we gave you is an alias, and it just opened up MORE questions..."

Phillips smiled warmly. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You've given us a name to work with, and I assure you, I'll have my men follow every lead. Mark my words, Cypher will answer for his crimes. Besides, I'm sure you'll be helping us out quite a bit, soon enough. On that note..." he set his coffee mug aside. "...if none of you have any more questions, I was hoping perhaps we could get down to the real matter of this meeting."

"Oh! Oh yes, of course!" Yuuna drank down the last of her water.

"I thought we were going to wait until Brother Chick and Brother Ethan get here?" said Colette. Phillips reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number. There was a hushed conversation, during which his expression darkened. Finally, he hung up, putting it down with a grunt.

"Still nothing?" Colette shook her head in disbelief. "They're really so against working with Tamers that they're willing to disobey orders...what are they thinking, pulling a stunt like this?"

Phillips scowled. "Brother Ethan, most likely...perhaps I should have known better than to bring a temperamental fool like him into the fold..."

"I don't know...maybe they can't answer. Maybe they're hurt." Nanami said helpfully. "If they're on the Mortician's List, we might be able to find them."

"Perhaps." Phillips mused. "It's worth a try. Their names are Ethan Samuel, and Chick Jackson."

Nanami silently ran her way down the List, shaking her head. "No...I don't see either of them." Phillips sighed, leaning back in his chair and adjusting his glasses with a finger to their bridge.

"It's unnerving, but there's little we can do about it..." he muttered. "We'll have to proceed without them for now. That being said, from here on in, I am assigning Sister Colette as your de-facto CO." he gestured to her, and she nodded in affirmation. "I will relay any orders to her, and she in turn will pass them onto you. Understood?"

"Of course." said Yuuna, as the other girls nodded in agreement.

"Good." Phillips smiled. "Now, while obtaining food is our number one priority as of now, we currently have no idea where the Yakuza Tamers took it all. I have men scouring the city, but we haven't found anything yet. That being said, there are still a number of missions we may need your help in: rescues, repelling Yakuza and demons from key points, finding and destroying demon portals, and the like. Just stick near Sister Colette and her unit, that will reduce the chances of my men mistaking you for an enemy Tamer, and follow her directions. Sound good?"

"Sure!" Sara nodded.

"Excellent. Now..." Phillips stood up carefully. "I'm sure you're all exhausted. It's best you all get some sleep: we've got a big day ahead of us. Sister Colette will show you to the barracks...ah, but before you leave, I know...Oda-san, Matsubara-san, and Sawaguchi-san." He pointed to each of them in turn. "And you two would be...?"

"Sara Kitajima, at your service!" Sara said brightly as she and the others got up.

"And this is Reo Kawamura." Mai gestured to her girlfriend, who averted her eyes. Phillips nodded.

"Kitajima-san and Kawamura-san...I see. I look forward to working with you all." he said, bowing.

"Same here." Mai returned the gesture. "It's been good talking to you, Phillips-san. Thanks for answering our questions."

"Anytime. Now, Sister Colette, if you would..."

"Yes, Father. Come on, follow me." Colette gestured for the girls to follow, and the group stepped out of the tent.

"Wow..." Mused Nanami. "We were in there a while, it's already dark out..."

"Yeah...the Father likes to talk, doesn't he?" chuckled Colette. "C'mon, they're just back here..."

They followed Colette past the command tent. Mai recognized the medical tents as Colette led the girls past them, and onward past another, smaller tent before stopping in front of a final pair.

"Here we are." Colette said, stepping to the one on the left and pulling the flap open. "I just hope we have enough cots for you all...c'mon, let's get some shuteye."

"Hey, uh..."

Everyone turned to face Mai as she jabbed a finger over her shoulder, moving carefully closer to Yuuna. "I'll catch up with you, I gotta use the bathroom."

A quick tap on the leg got Yuuna's attention. "Huh...?" Yuuna caught Mai's gaze, then nodded as she got the message. "O-oh, yes! Now that you mentioned it, I kind of need to go too."

Colette surveyed them for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, okay...you know where to find us." She, Nanami and Sara entered the tent. Reo turned to follow, then paused, shooting a glance back at Mai, who shrugged.

"Sorry, Reo. Nature calls. Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."

Reo nodded, then slipped silently into the tent.

No sooner was she out of sight then Mai took off. Yuuna had to hurry after her as she walked briskly past the rows of tents and out into the crowd of sleeping survivors. It was only when Mai was sure they were not being watched that she turned around to face Yuuna, her expression wild as she pointed in the general direction of the Flock's tents.

"Did you hear that? You heard him, right?!" She hissed. Yuuna nodded sadly.

"If you're talking about how he lied about their use of the Summoning Program...yes..."

Mai was shaking her head, stunned. "So...so that's it...I was right...oh man, why did I have to be _right_...?"

The two stood in silence for a while, trying to wrap their minds around this massive revelation.

"So..." Yuuna said finally. "Where do we go from here?" It took a while for Mai to answer: Yuuna could see the debate raging in her brain. But at last, she simply shook her head.

"I...I don't know. We can't pursue this. Not yet. The situation's just too unstable." She muttered, looking around the park. "Right now, the Flock's pretty much holding everything together, all these people are depending on them for survival. They're the ones who can get everyone's food back, and they're keeping the demons out of the park. We can't just drop a bombshell that they're bad guys." She bowed her head, a hand coming up to scratch her chin. "Best case scenario is no one believes us and we become pariahs. Worst case scenario is complete mayhem..._hrmm_..."

Yuuna watched as Mai ran her fingers through her hair, taking deep, slow breaths. "Can I make a suggestion, Mai-san?" she said.

Mai looked up at her eagerly. "Yeah, what?" Yuuna looked at her solemnly for a moment, then smiled gently.

"Get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Mai blinked, then giggled as it slowly dawned on her just how completely drained she felt, and how enticing the idea of rest after such a hectic day sounded. "Yeah...yeah, you're right...probably couldn't come up with much of a plan right now, anyway...we can talk about it in the morning..."

"That's the spirit..." Yuuna placed a gentle hand on Mai's shoulder. "Come on. Reo's waiting for you."

And with that, the two of them headed back in the direction of the barracks.


End file.
